Complicated
by RyokoZChan
Summary: *COMPLETE!*Marron loves Goten. Trunks loves Marron. Pan loves Trunks. Goten loves Bra. Cabba and Caulifla are always in the middle. Life gets even more complicated when a new villain arrives to eradicate Saiyans from existence and replace them with an even more powerful species.


**CHAPTER ONE**

It was a brisk Saturday morning amidst the quaint, country villages of East District. A towering young man just shy of 6'9" named Goten was standing over his bed staring into a partially full overnight bag. He was excited for what he was about to do, but weary of the potential consequences. He'd heard stories about the girl he was sneaking out to meet that night, but he chose to ignore them. She was way too hot to pass up on. He'd been trying to get her to agree to a date for months now.

He excitedly placed a neatly folded polo shirt into the bag and backed away slightly. She stared at it for a while, wishing he could still be the guy that was okay with wearing a preppy polo shirt, but it just wasn't him. He knew this girl would expect it, though. She wasn't going to date a guy that was dressed like the poor kid he actually was in real life. She expected an Abercrombie model, especially with his unusually fit physique.

With a heavy sigh, he approached the bed again. He'd made a promise to himself long ago that he'd never sacrifice his own personality to make a woman happy again, not after his last relationship went so far astray. He reached into the bag and grabbed the polo, hastily tossing it onto the floor and feeling an instant sense of relief. He looked around his bedroom for another option instead. A tight-fitting, black t-shirt was hanging out of a dresser drawer. He grabbed it and held it up to himself.

"Looks clean…" He said quietly.

He thought about folding it, but instead he tossed it into the bag like a basketball and felt satisfied. He only planned to stay for one night with some friends anyway. There wasn't really a need for much more than a single change of clothes. He didn't plan to stay so far from home for more than one night. Any longer might get him into trouble he wouldn't be able to get out of.

Sin City, or as it was known to the general public, West City, was always full of vibrant fun and parties for twenty-somethings looking to drink the night away. He'd attended high school there and then college at West University to pursue his dream of becoming a surgeon. Unbeknownst to his overbearing mother, he became quite the bartender at one of the hottest night clubs there to make some money during college. He always made sure to take the trip back West when the next big party was planned. He might even get behind the bar and make a few drinks if he was feeling it. He still knew the owner pretty well.

Even though he missed his old life, he couldn't really complain about the simple life he was now living. Besides, living at home did have its perks. The biggest was not needing to work away from home to survive. They lived in the middle of nowhere, but his mother's ridiculously large vegetable farm kept him busy during the day. The manual labor kept him in shape, too. His family was relatively small and needed the extra help anyway.

His mother, Chichi, was a bitter old woman with the temper of an active volcano. She was loud and obnoxious, often embarrassing her two adult sons in public for little to no reason at all. Regardless of her crazy antics, Goten knew that she meant well and tried to look past it. He had to if he wanted a free roof over his head.

In their younger years, both Goten and his older brother were forced into only the best schools, on scholarship, of course. With the top scores in the state on every exam and prize-winning science fair projects each year, their future was all but assured to them. Even though Chichi absolutely hated the city and everything associated with it, school came first for her boys. When Goten asked to come home to his mother's country home and simple lifestyle, Chichi had only one request of him besides tending the crops: No dating city girls.

Little did Chichi know, Goten was what one might describe as a "man whore" within his social circles. He'd tried the long term relationship route for several years with a woman his mother fully approved of, but when it all came crumbling down, his rebound streak became legendary. The only trick to maintaining his adventurous lifestyle was getting out the door without her seeing him leave. He could handle her judgmental lectures when he returned, but he couldn't stand seeing her face of disappointment if she caught him sneaking out.

As he put a few more essentials into his bag, he noticed his phone screen was on. He picked it up and saw a text message waiting from the girl he was meeting later that night. He slowly peeked over his shoulder to check for his nosey mother. Only when he was positive the coast was clear did he open the message.

The message was fairly short, but at least he knew she was excited to "get to know him". He shivered with anticipation and tried to think of something witty to respond with. Despite the butterflies, he couldn't let her think he was _that_ excited. He couldn't sound like a desperate loser. He sent a simple emoji of a winky face and hid the phone away in his pocket.

He sat on his bed and started zipping up his bag, but another text arrived before he even touched the zipper. He groaned impatiently and leaned forward, pulling the phone back out of his pocket. He opened the text without checking for prying eyes this time.

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed.

A rather scandalous photograph was attached this time. A flirty emoji below the picture sent his expectations for the night skyrocketing. He quickly stood up and turned on his camera app. He flipped it to face him. He tried a few expressions, feeling a bit silly, but too excited to stop. Finally he settled on a lip-biting selfie with his shirt pulled upwards just enough to expose his impressive abs. He snapped the photo and hit send quickly.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, my God!" Goten shouted, almost dropping the phone.

He tossed it onto the bed and turned around quickly with an angry expression. His teenaged niece was standing in the hallway with a bowl of ice cream in her hands. She rolled her eyes playfully and giggled.

"Dammit, Pan!"

"Whatcha packin' for?" Pan asked, ignoring him and skipping into his room.

Goten grabbed up his bag and hid it away from her.

"Nothing! Get outta my room!" Goten grumbled, "Don't you have something better to do?"

Pan knew him better than he thought she did. She slinked forward and pointed her ice cream spoon at him.

"You're sneaking off to meet up with some girl again, aren't you?"

"No! I'm uh... going to this show in the city tonight. Motorcycle stuff. It's no big deal." Goten lied, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Motorcycles are stupid. You're meeting a girl otherwise you'd just fly there." Pan sighed.

"Look…if you keep quiet…I'll let you drive it…we'll go out into the field and I'll let you drive it down the dirt road again." Goten whispered desperately, knowing she'd tell Chichi without some kind of incentive.

"Oh Yeah? Okay, I'll keep quiet. You're such a man whore…" Pan laughed, "I'll bet grandma wishes you were more like Cabba."

"Don't talk to your uncle like that, you brat..." Goten scolded, opening the window.

"Says the uncle sneaking out of his bedroom window…whatever."

Pan turned around casually and returned to the hallway. She truly was the little sister he never had. Too close in age to feel like a niece and too far to feel like a sister. He swung one of his long legs up and sat on the windowsill, checking the phone again for a second look.

"Nice…" He smirked devilishly.

He swung his other leg up and over and landed softly on the ground below. He started walking towards the street, but a strange sensation came over him causing him to stop dead in his tracks. It was familiar, like dejavu. He felt his stomach tighten and his fingertips tingle. The wind began to pick up and whipped across his face, causing chills to travel from head to toe.

He looked up at the sky and breathed in the fresh, country air as the wind picked up. The blue sky above was beautiful. He knew it'd be black by the time he reached West City. The sky was never this blue there anyway.

Taking a few more steps forward, he pulled his wallet out from his back pocket. A tiny row of capsules lined the inside. He chose a black capsule with little red letters down the side and took it into the palm of his hand. He tossed it up and caught it, smiling proudly. With another soft gust of wind gently caressing his face, he pressed a tiny, round button on the top and threw it forward. A poof of white smoke burst from the capsule and revealed his beautiful, black motorcycle in perfect condition.

He rubbed his hands together happily and got onto the bike. Throwing caution to the wind, he started it up while he buckled his helmet around his chin. His mother could neither fly nor did she have a vehicle, so even if she heard the engine and tried to stop him, she'd never catch him. He was home free at this point. He let the engine roar and revved the gas a bit. Good thing his brother wasn't there to pick up Pan yet. He'd surely be chasing right after him.

Once his bag was secured onto his back, he jolted forward and tore up the grass with his tires.

"Sorry, mom." He laughed to himself.

He hit the road at blazing speeds and headed towards the highway. He had to travel over the big East Village Mountain to get there, but he enjoyed the scenic route it provided.

Suddenly, a loud crack blew him backwards.

He flew off of his bike and landed like a ton of bricks right on his head. His helmet cracked down the middle and broke into a million pieces. There was smoke everywhere and it was hard to see.

Rubbing his head, he pulled himself up by grabbing onto a large tree that broke his fall. He brushed himself off and limped towards the wreckage of his precious bike. He knew it wasn't an animal, so it had to be another car that hit him head on. Scared about losing his license for driving so fast, he started freaking out internally. What if someone was hurt?

"Are you okay?" A coughing voice called to him.

He wiped away the sweat from his forehead. He had to make sure the other person was okay.

"Y-yeah…I think so." Goten answered, making his way through the smoke and coughing.

"Wow, I'm really sorry. I didn't see you coming!"

"It's fine. It was my fault for driving so fast. I must've crossed lanes…"

The man finally became visible through the thinning cloud of smoke. Goten froze. His toes went numb and his legs turned into jelly. He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. The sensation he'd felt moments earlier clicked in his head.

"You…" Goten whispered.

"Betcha didn't expect to see me today, huh?"

Goten felt a lump forming in his throat. He gasped for air, but it wouldn't fill his lungs. He couldn't run, he couldn't hide. He could only face the man who single handedly ruined his life five years ago.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Goten gasped, clenching his hands into tight fists.

"That's no way to speak to your father, asshole."

Another figure came out of the smoke with an angry expression.

"C-Caulifla!" Goten growled, "You actually brought _her_ here?"

"Of course I did! It's her home, too, Goten. Where is everyone? Are they home? I can't wait to see…"

"Of course mom is home…" Goten snapped, staring Caulifla down.

"Awesome! I'm gonna go see everyone. You coming?"

Goten's anger morphed into complete outrage. He rushed forward and stopped eye to eye with Goku, the father he'd all but forgotten. He reached out and slapped Goku's chest with both of his hands, pushing him backwards like he wanted to fight.

"Are you fucking serious? You're kidding, right? I haven't seen you in five years! Why the hell would I want to go anywhere with you?" Goten exclaimed angrily, preparing himself to strike.

The man sighed and rubbed the back of his head casually.

"Listen, son…it's complicated."

"Complicated? It's complicated that you abandoned your father at the blink of an eye to go train on some weird planet with this chick? How's fucking Broly? Actually, you know what? Just get the hell away from me!"

"Goten, calm the hell down!" Caulifla shouted.

Goten stormed past them both and flew off angrily into the sky. He was so furious that his still-closed fists were shaking as he cut through the air like a knife. He used to dream about the day when his father would return, but those dreams had since vanished. The last he'd seen of the man named Goku was at a martial arts tournament when Goten was just seventeen years old.

Seeing as the tournament included contestants from all over the world, competition was tight. It wasn't until a single person started winning match after match that Goku and his friends took any notice. A young boy named Uub seemed to be tearing up the competition, but it was soon clear that he needed a mentor to keep getting stronger. The boy told them that he was from a very poor village and wanted to win the tournament for the prize money to help his family. It was the perfect storm. Goku jumped at the chance to teach the boy, deciding he'd make the perfect companion for his friend, Broly, who lived on a remote planet far away from Earth.

Knowing that Goku would be gone for a long time, Caulifla and Kale, then his students, decided to go with them and train on Broly's planet, too. They left their friend Cabba on Earth and completely devastated. Goten always knew Cabba was in love with Caulifla, but after she left it was obvious to everyone around him.

After they disappeared into thin air using Goku's instant transmission, they never came back to visit again. Goku missed Goten's high school graduation. He missed Goten's college dreams blowing up in smoke. Worst of all, he wasn't even there for Goten when his engagement fell apart at the seams. He was literally absent for anything and everything that meant something to Goten.

"Dammit!"

Lost in his painful memories, Goten realized he'd left his overnight bag on the ground by his bike's wreckage. It was too late to turn back now. Fueled by anger, Goten continued blazing through the sky with a plan not to return home for a few days. He couldn't bear to witness his poor mother sobbing at his father's feet. He knew she would beg him not to leave her ever again, but who knew what his plans might be. Broly was probably sitting there waiting for them to return right this second.

Before long, Goten's phone began to ring. Sorely hoping it wasn't "home" written across the screen, he came to a complete stop and reached into his pocket. Instead of his mother, or even the girl he was hoping to meet up with, the name belonged to none other than his clingy and seriously deranged ex.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Goten debated just ignoring the call. She'd been calling him on and off since he broke off their engagement six months ago. Sometimes she was crying and telling him how much she missed him. Other times she was angry and screamed until he had to hang up on her to make it stop. He wasn't sure what he'd get this time, but the soft spot she still held in his heart compelled him to answer. Maybe she'd get his mind off of Goku's return.

"Hello?" He snapped.

"G-G-Goten…"

She was crying again. Great.

"Marron…Today is so not the day. You gotta stop calling me like this." Goten began slowly, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm s-sorry, I just r-really need you right now…" She continued.

He rolled his eyes. His patience with her crying had worn out. Why couldn't she just move on and find someone else to bother with her problems? He decided he had to be straightforward if things were going to change once and for all. He simply couldn't deal with her right now.

"Listen. I'm not your boyfriend anymore. I'm literally nothing to you. Why can't you just get that? Why can't you call someone else…anyone else?" He begged coldly.

There was a short pause. She sniffled a few times. He wondered if she might hang up on him, but just when he planned to do just that himself, she spoke again.

"It's…my dad…he's…he's in the hospital…they aren't sure if he's going to make it…"

Goten felt his heart fall into the pit of his stomach and sighed. The regret sunk into his skin like poison.

"Shit, Mare…I'm sorry…" Goten said quietly, horribly embarrassed.

"I'm just so scared…" Marron cried softly.

"Okay…where are you right now?" Goten asked, checking the time on his phone quickly.

"We're at W-West Point Memorial Hospital…"

"Alright. I'm on my way. Stay put…I'll be there soon."

Goten hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. What was he doing? Sure, he felt badly for her, but it wasn't his job to comfort her anymore. He wasn't her knight in shining armor. Their failed engagement was proof enough of that fact. But despite everything, he couldn't help but come to her rescue like he'd always done for years. Something about the sound of her sweet, innocent voice bounced around in his head like a bell that wouldn't stop ringing. The time he spent loving her made him the man he was today. She wasn't just some chick he hooked up with and forgot.

He opened the text from his date and started to text an excuse. He assumed he'd probably miss the big party. He should let her down early. Maybe he'd still get a chance to make it up to her later. As much as he hated hitting that send button, he pressed it and pursed his lips together angrily. He shoved the phone back into his pocket and groaned loudly.

"Shiiiiiiiiit."

At full speed, he blasted towards West City. Krillin, Marron's father, was Goku's childhood best friend. He was kind of a legend. He put up with more years of Goku's antics than anyone else and never harbored a single negative feeling. The least Goten could do was make sure that his only daughter was okay while he laid in some hospital bed.

After just over an hour of flying, Goten descended on West City and landed harshly in front of the emergency doors to the hospital. He stopped and stared up at the red emergency sign and sighed, briefly pondering what he was about to get himself into. Defeated, he jogged through the entrance and headed for the main lobby.

In front of a large check in desk, several people sat awaiting news from doctors and nurses that scurried about. Marron was seated near the giant windows on the far side of the lobby with her mother and a few family friends. He hadn't seen any of them since the break-up.

Goten approached the family awkwardly and cleared his throat.

"Um…how's Krillin doing?" Goten asked, avoiding direct eye contact with any of them.

The group all looked up at Goten with utter shock. Marron's mother, Eighteen, wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and popped up out of her seat.

"You!" She growled, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Mom!" Marron exclaimed weakly.

Eighteen ignored her daughter and grabbed Goten's shirt. Though he towered over her in height, her strength was enough to make her point. She threw Goten against the adjacent wall and held him there with one hand while she formed a tight fist with the other.

"What in the _hell_ do you think you're doing here at a time like this, Goten?" She demanded.

Goten expected something like this to happen. He reached up and grabbed her thin arm firmly.

"Eighteen, _Marron_ called _me_. She asked me to come, so let me go. People are staring."

"Bullshit! You're just here to feed your own ego!" Eighteen howled, gripping his shirt so tightly that he felt it start to rip.

Goten couldn't hold his temper in. Too many emotions were swirling inside of him today.

"You know what…fuck this! I don't have to be here, I only came because I care about Krillin! He's my dad's best friend and now that he's home…"

Eighteen's grip loosened instantly and she gasped.

"Goku's…home?"

Eighteen turned pale. A small glimmer of excitement sparkled in her blue eyes. Before she could say another word, Marron arrived at her side in a complete panic.

"Mom, please! I asked him to come! Please don't hurt him! It's not his fault!"

Eighteen paused and looked over her shoulder at her daughter. Several hospital employees and other patients were staring nervously with their mouths agape, ready to call security. She let go of Goten's shirt and re-composed herself.

"Right. This is about Krillin. Okay. We don't know much yet. He had a heart attack at home and we got him here as fast as we could, but Goku's instant transmission might have helped..." Eighteen said with contempt.

"Y-yeah…it would have…" Goten grumbled, straightening out his shirt and frowning at the small rip in his shirt, "I totally agree."

"If he's back, then why the hell hasn't he called us? We haven't seen him in years!" Eighteen shouted, flailing her arms around.

"Obviously neither have I, Eighteen. He got home right when I was leaving…he broke my freaking bike with his damn head. Caulifla is with him. I'm literally only here trying to be a good friend to Marron."

"A good friend? A… _a good friend_?" Eighteen shouted, raising a fist to him again.

"Mom, please!" Marron cried, grabbing her by the arm, "People are watching us like we're aliens!"

Eighteen let out an exasperated sigh and turned away from Goten. She stomped back over to her seat and plopped down with her arms crossed.

"Thank you for being here…" Marron said softly, staring up at him with big, doe eyes, "I'm sorry about my mom…"

"Yeah…" He answered, "It's nothing…"

The silence was deafening, even with all the hustle and bustle in the background accompanied by the nervous whispers of onlookers. Goten noticed a nurse he recognized from premed behind the counter eyeing him. How embarrassing.

"Um…you wanna go for a walk or something? We can talk and stuff…I guess…" Goten suggested, turning away from the nurse.

"Yeah. I'd like that…" Marron answered.

She turned around and headed away from the lobby area. He quickly followed Marron down a long, quiet hallway. The hallway led to a large area with fewer people and nowhere to sit. Marron headed for a large stairway and started climbing. She reached the top and stopped on a small walkway overlooking the area. Huge windows behind them displayed the entire city at a glance, as well as the dimly lit sky that looked indicative of rain. She stared down at the doctors running around and rested her elbows on the walkway railing.

"I…can't believe that my dad could die here. He helped save the world so many times…he is a survivor and a hero. I can't picture my life without him. All because of his heart? It's so ironic…"

Goten frowned and leaned forward beside her.

"Marron, you can't talk like that. He isn't going to die, medicine is so advanced these days…"

She rolled her eyes and looked away. He sighed loudly. He knew what was coming.

"What?" Goten groaned.

"I almost forgot…about how passionate you were in high school about becoming a doctor. It seems so long ago. Mr. Straight A's always touting himself as Dr. Son, the future of medicine..."

Goten's heart softened slightly. He felt a smile creeping onto his face as he pictured the Goten she was talking about.

"You were so inspirational back then. I always wanted to be like you. So full of confidence and pride…"

"Yeah?" Goten beamed, peering down at her from the corner of his eye.

"But…then everything changed. You got so…I don't know…sad…"

He felt a familiar twinge of anger insert itself on top of the happy feelings he was experiencing. She wouldn't possibly go there at a time like this, would she?

"But you know, life is just so unpredictable. My dad could die today…I could die today…alone and heartbroken with zero explanation as to why my whole life came crashing down six months ago."

Goten slammed his fists down onto the railing, denting it inwards towards the floor. His eyes burned with rage.

"Marron, I did _not_ have to come here today! My dad just got home…I could be with my family right now, but I'm here with you instead!"

"So what, Goten? You're telling me you wanted to stay and talk to him? You hate your dad!" Marron scoffed.

"I don't…I…I had other plans, you know! I actually have a life!"

"Oh, I know, Goten! I'm sure you had some hot date tonight. Sorry to inconvenience your perfect, bachelor lifestyle!"

"Holy Shit! Yeah, it is _fucking_ perfect!" He shouted angrily, crossing his arms matter-of-factly.

Completely disgusted, Marron turned her body towards him and jabbed her finger into his chest.

"Just admit it, Goten! You left me because I wasn't going to make a lot of money as a teacher! I wasn't some hot, city-girl with a ton of cash for you to spend! I know you want to move out here and pretend that you aren't a little country boy, but that's such a joke! You just couldn't stand that I wanted to settle down and have a nice, little family in a modest, little house! Say it! I was never going to be good enough for the great Dr. Son! Look where that got you, Goten!"

Goten's eyes glazed over and his angry facial expression relaxed. He realized that there was only one way to end this conversation once and for all. It would hurt, but he couldn't stand her constant ridicule for another second of his life. He remembered why he couldn't stand being with her anymore all over again.

"Fine, Marron. I wanted you to be a _little_ bit more ambitious. A little bit more adventurous. You just got so damn… _boring!_ "

Her mouth fell open and a small sigh of sadness escaped. He'd hurt her deeply. He realized he was being harsh, but he was right back in the situation he swore he'd stay away from. Even though her father was in the hospital, it wasn't his job to take care of her anymore. Their relationship was toxic. He had to end this.

"Look...I-I gotta go. I'm really sorry about your dad. I know he'll pull through this. He always does."

He wasn't sorry that he'd finally told her the truth. He wasn't sorry that he didn't love her. But maybe he was a little sorry for the timing of everything, though. He shrugged his shoulders and started walking away, hoping she'd finally get the hint. He heard Marron making a few desperate gasping sounds behind him, looking for words that would hurt him like he'd hurt her, but she seemed completelyout of ideas. He sighed. Her clomping footsteps were running after him.

"Goten…please…I'm sorry. At least we got some things out in the open, right? That's okay. I'd rather you yell at me then just ignore me like you always do…I can take it! W-What else ya got?"

He turned around and faced her, but the look of determination on her face coupled with her teary, blue eyes simply melted away his anger. He leaned against the railing and slipped off, clumsily falling forward and catching himself. Marron laughed, helping him to his feet. He realized he'd slipped on the dented railing he so foolishly punch inwards only minutes earlier.

"Way to break the hospital, Goten..." Marron giggled.

He peeked up at her with a playful smirk.

"My bad."

Marron looked away blushing like crazy. He couldn't believe that even though he'd just stabbed her in the heart with his words, she still blushed like she did on their first date. Her beauty was everlasting in that she always turned bad situations into something positive and happy. She'd managed to not only smile in the face of losing her father, but also after Goten's blatant and pretty harsh honesty. He couldn't help it when he began to smile his crooked smirk right back at her. He blinked his smoldering, black eyes and felt the magnetic pull he'd grown to recognize over the years. Those feelings he'd tried desperately to forget were knocking on the door of reality. That electric hold she had on him for years was still there and sucking him in like a magnet.

She was standing closer to him now, though he wasn't sure how she got there. Her still teary eyes were staring up at him longingly. He felt himself leaning forward. She reached up and placed a hand on his chest while he instinctively wrapped an arm around her waist. He held his breath and closed his eyes.

 _What was he doing?_

"Guys!"

Yamcha, their longtime family friend who'd been comforting Eighteen in the lobby, was running towards them waving his arms around frantically.

"Shit!" Goten exclaimed, pushing Marron away.

 _Yamcha hadn't seen them, had he?_

"Is dad okay? Oh, God, what happened?" Marron gasped.

"No, I have _good_ news! He pulled through! He's okay! Marron, he survived and he's gonna be okay!"

Marron instantly squealed and jumped into Yamcha's arms. Goten felt a huge sense of relief and relaxed a little, but Yamcha's eyes were focused on him and judging like crazy. Before he could congratulate her and politely excuse himself from the awkward situation, Marron released Yamcha and sprang forward like a speeding bullet, wrapping her arms around Goten's thin waist. She buried her head in his shirt, loudly mixing laughing and crying together. Goten blushed and cleared his throat. Yamcha, who'd become somewhat of an uncle to Marron over the years, looked like he was ready to punch Goten in the throat. He glared at Goten and crossed his arms impatiently. Feeling slightly defeated by the entire situation at hand, Goten sighed and returned her hug with a tight squeeze. He caught a whiff of her familiar perfume and felt his stomach do a little back flip.

 _God, no!_

He stuffed his feelings back down into the depths of his relatively cold heart and released her, pushing her away gently.

"You should go see your dad. I-I'm gonna go..." He said quietly.

"…Yeah…" She breathed.

Yamcha approached Marron and placed his hand on her shoulder. He steered her away from Goten and began walking her down the long flight of steps towards the lobby, pretending as though Goten was never there. Deflated and confused by his own feelings, Goten started clomping down the hallway. He'd find an exit somewhere, but he definitely wasn't going back to the lobby where everyone else was.

What just happened could _never_ happen again.

 **CHAPTER TWO**

"Goten should've come home by now. He's so irresponsible…He's like a little child with his ridiculous temper tantrums…" Gohan groaned, worriedly checking his watch.

"Oh, dad you worry too much. He'll be back when he's cooled off, I'm sure of it! Besides, he's an adult now. Why do you care?" Pan said, defending her uncle.

"He is still living under your Grandmother's roof, Pan! He needs to follow her rules, not his own. I followed all of her rules right up until I married your mother and moved into our house. I expect that you'll do the same and show respect, young lady."

Chichi nodded and smiled at her eldest son with pride. Videl, Gohan's wife, giggled and patted Gohan on the back.

"Well…why don't you just call him?" Pan suggested, "He always answers his phone."

"That's why he's so stupid…" Caulifla suggested, rolling her eyes.

Goku, who had been sitting at the table without talking and eating frantically, frowned and set his chop sticks down quietly. He sighed and shook his head, holding up a hand to his son.

"Don't bother him, Gohan…" Goku sighed, "He might…be training or something to blow off some steam, right?"

The entire table erupted in laughter. Goku looked around, confused and clueless.

"What's so funny?" He demanded.

"Sweetheart, you will come to know our little baby boy a bit better soon enough. He isn't exactly...the fighting type anymore. He has _other_ things on his mind." Chichi groaned before taking a sip of tea.

Goku seemed completely dumbfounded. It was clear that he couldn't imagine what else could be on anyone's mind besides training.

As they all settled back into their conversations, Chichi's phone rang. Goku gasped, shocked that his wife would ever own a cellphone. Videl noticed and laughed.

"I bought it for her. It's a simple one. She can use it anywhere. Imagine if she were home alone and fell…it scares me too much. She needed a way to communicate with us now that we live in West City." Videl said calmly.

Chichi scoffed and answered her phone. Her face fell into concern very quickly.

"Mom…what is it? Is Goten okay?" Gohan asked, causing both Pan and Caulifla to sit up straighter and lean forward.

"Okay, we'll be right there!" Chichi said quickly before hanging up her phone, "It's not Goten. It's…it's Krillin. He had a heart attack!"

Gohan gasped, "A heart attack?"

Chichi nodded and looked at Goku.

"Eighteen thought he might want to see you when he wakes up…if…no, _when_ he wakes up. He hasn't seen you in so long…" Chichi trailed off.

Videl began digging through her purse. She pulled out a small wallet full of capsules and released a blue capsule from its holder.

"Do you want to fly there or use the plane?" She asked, "We could all go together?"

Goku shook his head, "I can get us there faster. Instant transmission, remember?"

His entire family sighed with relief. They'd gotten used to traveling the old-fashioned way without Goku's teleportation technique.

"That works! Geez…Krillin has been having a lot of trouble with his health lately. We just assumed it was from the whole fiasco a few months ago. I sure hope that's not what caused his heart attack!" Chichi cried, clapping her hands to her cheeks in horror.

The family all fell silent. Goku obviously had no idea what kind of pain their son had only recently experienced on account of Krillin's only daughter, but Caulifla seemed to suspect it. As Chichi, Gohan and Videl silently decided to skip over the story, Pan's mouth flew open in typical fashion without a filter.

"Goten was going to marry Marron. He called it off like…six months ago. It was _super_ crazy and dramatic. Goten was like, so depressed. Krillin and Eighteen were here a lot with Marron before that but we haven't seen them since it all went down." Pan blurted.

Goku stared at Chichi in shock. Caulifla burst out laughing.

"Goten? Marriage? Like _that_ would ever work!"

"What happened to them? Why didn't they get married?" Goku asked sincerely.

Gohan sighed, "Dad, I think you need to ask Goten that question. We aren't really sure what happened with them. It was all really sudden. We don't have the details."

Annoyed, Pan hopped off of her chair and headed to the front door. She turned the knob and stepped outside.

"Well, what are we waiting for? I want to see what instant transmission feels like!"

Goku stood at his chair and shook his head.

"I hope Krillin is okay…" He said quietly, "I wish I could have been here when he started to get sick…"

Gohan placed a hand on his father's shoulder, "Let's go, dad. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. Everyone will be."

The family stepped outside into the front yard. Each of them placed a hand on Goku's arms. He reached up and touched his forehead with two fingers. Pan held her breath.

The scene in front of their eyes suddenly disappeared. There was a brief moment of blackness before they appeared in front of the hospital doors and the bright-red emergency sign. Pan shook her head and took a few wobbly steps forward.

"Holy crap! That was freaking awesome!" She squealed.

"Try and be a little bit more sympathetic, Pan…" Videl sighed.

The group moved inside and started to look around the lobby area. Eighteen spotted them quickly and ran towards Chichi with her arms open. The two woman hugged tightly. Eighteen had definitely been missing her friend just as much as Chichi was missing hers.

"How are you? I'm so sorry about Krillin. Have you gotten any news?" Chichi asked frantically.

"Nothing. Radio silence. I'm so worried!" Eighteen cried.

Yamcha and their friend Roshi walked over to the group.

"Goku! I'm so happy to see you, boy!" Old master Roshi cried, shaking his cane at Goku.

Goku greeted them warmly. Everyone was happy to see him come home. As the "grown-ups" continued to chatter away, a very bored Caulifla and Pan decided it was time to entertain themselves.

The girls wandered towards the elevator and hopped on. Pan hit a random button and began their climb to a higher floor. When they arrived and stepped into the new hallway, they walked through a wide doorway and read a sign that said "Authorized Personnel Only". Pan chuckled to herself and walked up to them anyway.

Two large, wooden doors opened automatically to her surprise. She stepped through them and into an area that was as sterile as it was bright with Caulifla following behind. There was a counter up ahead with two women sitting at computers and a man signing paper work on top of the counter. A blue cart ahead of them looked like a giant tool box with electronic dials on the front to access each individual drawer. A computer screen sat atop it flashing red. Pan felt weirdly cold, like death was just around the corner. She turned to her right and saw names written on panels placed in clear holders next to each door. She followed them towards a large window at the end of the hall, but stopped when she saw Krillin's name on a door. She stood on her tip-toes and tried to see in the window, but she was too short. Caulifla chuckled at her and peered in easily. Pan, determined to match Caulifla's height, looked to each side and levitated off of the floor to get a better look.

There he was, laying there helplessly with wires and monitors all around him. She gasped and fell, causing a nurse passing by to notice her and run down the hallway.

"Excuse me, you two can't be in the ICU wing!"

She placed her hands on Pan's shoulders but Pan shrugged her off.

"I'm sorry! We'll just leave. We got lost." Pan answered with her trademark attitude.

"Chill, lady. We're going." Caulifla added, leading Pan away.

The nurse picked up a phone and started dialing, but they ignored her and trotted towards the large, wooden doors again.

Meanwhile, one floor above, a partial owner and board member paced the floor. Her heels clicked as she went, and her tight business skirt pulled at her petite yet curvaceous form. Her cell phone rang, but she ignored the call and laid it down on the table in front of her.

Three men sat across the table, watching her tight skirt pull against her muscular and sexy legs as she paced. She stopped briefly, looked up as though she had an idea, but sighed and returned to pacing. Her electric blue eyes were just as intense as her blue hair, and her anger was very apparent.

"How could this have happened? We are supposed to be the best hospital in the country. I expect better of our staff! This is one of my best friends that we're talking about!"

She stomped her foot at the three men, who all jumped and looked terrified.

"Ms. Bulma, we can't control what the man's heart does! Y-You are too close to this issue…We have to draw the line-"

His voice cut off as another man entered the room. He was shorter than Bulma, but had muscles to compensate and then some. His hair was jet black, like his eyes, and his expression was that of an angry bull about to charge.

"I didn't just hear a mere consultant like yourself question my wife, did I?"

He made a fist in one hand that hung next to his body and took another step forward.

Bulma turned to him and rolled her eyes, "I've got this under control, Vegeta."

He scoffed and exited the room backwards, staring down the three men with his demon-like eyes. A fourth man to the far right of the table kicked back his chair and placed his expensive, leather shoes onto the side of the conference table.

"Mother, you're overreacting. We have been through worse with patients in much worse condition. We're sitting in a room with the three most renowned heart surgeons in the country!"

Bulma snapped at him, "Quiet, Trunks! No one asked you. Get me some coffee or something! I can't handle this stress today."

Trunks sighed and let his feet fall to the floor with a loud thud. He knew that there was no conceivable thing to calm his mother in high stress situations. Besides, he hated being on the board of the hospital with her. He was only there because she forced him to be.

Once Trunks was in the hallway, he decided to ditch the meeting and sneak out. He hadn't eaten since the early morning, before a meeting with a potential Capsule Corp investor and another meeting with his own board of advisors. He needed a break.

"Let's see…" He said to himself, pulling out his cellphone.

He noticed that there was an invite to a party later that night sitting in his inbox. He smiled. Exactly what he had in mind! He opened the door to the stairwell and excitedly began to hurry towards the lobby.

"Shit!"

Before Trunks knew what happened, he hit the floor at the bottom of the staircase. His head landed right into the wall, leaving a gaping hole.

"Ow!" Trunks yelled, rubbing his head.

"Do you not look in front of you when you're on the stairs?"

Trunks sat up from his landing strip on the ground. A young girl with long, black hair was halfway down the stairs and rubbing her arm. He couldn't believe he tripped over her.

"Geez, I'm so sorry, ma'am! Here, let me help you up!" Trunks demanded, scrambling to his feet.

"Ma'am?" She asked.

"Uh…yeah?" He answered, confused.

"It's me, Trunks...Pan Son?" She grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Pan? My God…you're old!"

She smiled widely, "Thank you! I'll take that as a compliment!"

"How old are you now? Fourteen?" Trunks smiled, holding out his hand to help her up.

"Fifteen actually. How about you? Twenty…three?" Pan smiled.

He laughed and blushed, "Yeah, I know. I'm getting really old."

"Old doesn't cover it by the looks of that business suit you're wearing."

Trunks and Pan looked up and saw the door to the stairwell open. Caulifla entered holding several candy bars. Trunks smiled warmly and jogged up the stairs to hug her. Pan felt a sudden, scalding jealousy burning inside of her.

"Well, I don't think you're old." She remarked, crossing her arms.

He smiled and opened the door to the lobby hallway for her. He obviously didn't even realize her intended compliment.

"Come on, you guys wanna get some food with me?"

"Yeah! I'm always down to spend your money." Caulifla laughed.

"Uh, sure…" Pan answered, blushing and staring upwards.

Looking around for his mother, Trunks quickly pulled the girls along by their hands. He snuck from doorway to doorway and smiled triumphantly when they finally reached the end of the hallway.

"Coast is clear, so now…" Trunks took a few quick steps and ran right into another person.

"Holy shit…I mean, wow…I'm so sorry!" Trunks sputtered.

A blonde girl in a bright pink sweater turned around slowly with tears in her eyes.

"M-Marron!" Trunks exclaimed.

Pan felt another huge rush of jealousy and blushed as she frowned upon the newcomer.

"Trunks…Oh, Caulifla…you're back, too…" Marron sniffled.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked nervously, still looking over his shoulder for Bulma.

"Well…my dad…" She began, rolling her eyes at Trunks' oblivion.

"Obviously! Right! Sorry!"

His eyes blatantly scanned Marron from head to toe. Pan grumbled to herself. Why did Marron have to show up? Trunks always treated her like gold.

"You look good, though. It's been a few months since…" Trunks added, fiddling with his tie.

"It has." She answered flatly.

Pan got the feeling she was missing something that only Trunks and Marron knew, but Caulifla was oblivious.

"Look, I'm hungry so like…can we go?" Caulifla interrupted.

"We were going to go get some food…wanna come?" Trunks asked.

Marron crossed her arms.

"Why? So you can yell at me, too?"

Marron's blue eyes suddenly flooded with tears as she broke down and turned away from them. Trunks eagerly grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. He was never very good with personal boundaries.

"What happened? Who yelled at you? You know, I own part of this hospital. If it was staff, I can fire them! Or if it was someone random, I could beat them up!"

Trunks' desperate pandering was getting on Pan's nerves. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Hey, guys…why don't you give me a rain check on that food? I think I'm gonna take Marron out of here so she can relax a little. Sound good?" Trunks asked, with his eyes still locked on Marron.

"You owe us, though." Caulifla smirked confidently.

"Whatever."

Pan stomped past them and headed back for the lobby. She'd always had a little crush on Trunks, but he never gave her the time of day. Her age was such an obstacle. She hated being young. Caulifla was older than Trunks and had no problem flirting openly with him. Why couldn't she have been born earlier?

 **CHAPTER THREE**

Feeling anxious, Marron followed Trunks through the automatic entrance doors in the lobby headed out onto the streets of West City. The sky was dark and murky from the rain that seemed like it would never end. She expected it to look a little brighter at only five in the afternoon.

"Where would you like to eat?" Trunks asked, pressing the top of an umbrella capsule and tossing it upwards, "You deserve a good meal after all this stress today."

She shrugged awkwardly, "I don't really know anywhere to eat near here...I live kinda far away…I guess it's been a while since I've been out and about in the city…"

A poof of smoke revealed a large umbrella. Trunks caught it in his hand and held it over them both.

"Let me just text my buddy over at Château then."

Marron gasped and shook her head furiously.

"Trunks! That's like…a super expensive place!"

She couldn't help but notice how confused Trunks was with her reaction. He'd clearly never gotten any resistance when offering an expensive dinner to a woman before. Still, he ignored her concern and took out his phone.

"My buddy owns the place. It's no biggie…"

He began swiping the keys on his phone with his thumb. Marron looked around and watched the rain tapping the road steadily. She felt a wave of sadness come over her suddenly and hid her face away from Trunks. Should she be going out to eat at a fancy restaurant when her father was laying in recovery from heart surgery? It didn't seem fair. He'd done so much for her over the years and walked her through the toughest of times, yet today he was crippled by his overtly human body. It was painful to admit, but she sometimes wished her father was as strong and powerful as the species he called his closest friends. Even being like her own mother might be better than being a weak little human. She silently began hating herself for her own inability to do anything useful for him in his time of need.

"Ah, see? Already got a response! We're in!" Trunks said happily, startling Marron.

She reached up and gripped her chest instinctively. She squeezed her pink sweater in her hand and wished she could give her healthy heart to her father. But was it really that healthy? Up until now, it felt more broken than anything.

"Watch out!"

Marron looked up quickly. She'd been so lost in thought that she'd walked right off the sidewalk. Her ankle bent inwards and she began to fall. It was like she was falling in slow motion. She saw headlights, but she couldn't do anything about it. They were right on top of her. She closed her eyes.

Huge, powerful hands wrapped around her waist. She felt herself jolt back onto the sidewalk. Trunks frantically scrambled to his feet and pulled her up, practically yanking her arm from its socket.

"Oh, my God! Are you okay, Marron?" Trunks shouted, checking her over protectively in the pouring rain.

She heard a car honking its horn angrily. She opened her eyes slowly and stared up at Trunks.

"Seriously, did you hurt yourself? You gotta be more careful!" Trunks continued, reaching down for the umbrella he'd abandoned in favor of catching her in the street.

"I'm…I'm a mess…" She said shakily, feeling completely empty.

Trunks stopped adjusting his now soaking wet suit. He gave her a strange look. His eyes seemed sympathetic, but his mouth was bent into a frown of concern. She knew that look. It was the same look Goten gave her every time she stopped caring about herself.

"Hey…"

She knew what was coming. Everyone wanted to tell her just how much she meant to her family and her friends. Everyone tried to convince her that life was worth living. But was it really anymore? She was alone in the world. The love of her life had taken the heart she'd endlessly patched again and again over the years and shredded it for good. She'd never be the same again. Trunks was going to tell her, too. He'd always been so blunt, but to her surprise, his frown softened into a smile. He reached a hand towards her and placed it firmly on her shoulder. She jumped when she felt his touch, afraid for some unknown reason.

"You are _not_ a mess. You _are_ just having a bad day…life sucks. I get it. I'm here for you, okay?"

Marron felt her mouth fall open. She stared into his sincere, blue eyes and felt her brittle heart begin to beat again. It was weak, but for the first time in a long time, she felt like it might be able to pump a little closer to normal again.

"I'm sorry…" Marron whispered, darting her eyes towards the ground, "I'm literally the clumsiest person ever…"

"You do not have to apologize. I've got you." Trunks said warmly, still holding on to her shoulder with his strong grip.

She felt a little confused. The Trunks she grew up knowing was always cold and fairly careless when it came to feelings. He often played pranks on people at their school and even made fun of people right to their face. He was known as the rich snob and definitely not the soft, kind person she was seeing in front of her. He seemed so…grown up.

"So…tell me…you been fighting with Goten again?"

Cutting into her thoughts, the question took her completely by surprise. She immediately switched into her age-old defensive mode.

"Did Goten say something? Oh, he's such an asshole! I can't believe him!" She sputtered, stomping her foot and storming away.

"Hey, hey! It's not that at all! I haven't talked to him in a few days. You've always put yourself down when he's involved. It doesn't take a genius to figure out when he's acting like a total dick again."

Marron couldn't understand what was happening. Why on Earth was Trunks being so nice to her? Goten was his best friend. She'd never heard him take someone else's side before when it came to Goten being a jerk.

"Look, let's go get some food and relax a bit." Trunks said, catching up to her and putting the umbrella over her head again, "I'm starving and it's cold as hell out here."

Marron sighed and looked down at her now soaking wet clothes, "Trunks…to be honest, I'm not really dressed for a place like that…"

He laughed and looked down at his suit, patting his chest and nodding.

"Well, yeah…you're right. Let's see…how about that place over there? My sister is a regular over there. I'll grab something for myself, too. Gotta keep it fresh, ya know?"

Trunks pointed across the street. Marron turned her head to look and began laughing.

"That place is way too expensive, Trunks. I can't even afford a shirt in there!"

Again, he seemed shocked at her response. He placed his hand on the small of her back and urged her forward.

"Uh…Pick whatever you want. It's not a big deal. I've got money to burn, baby!"

Marron rolled her eyes. He was so cocky.

He started to cross the street, still pushing her along beside him. She hurried at his side, taking shelter from the rain under his umbrella. Before they reached the sidewalk again, she felt the hand that was gently guiding her grip her side gently. Was he trying to keep her from tripping over the sidewalk again?

They reached the two glass doors at the store entrance. He pulled in the umbrella and opened the door for her, leading her through with the same hand on her waist. Inside, an overwhelming scent of lavender smacked into Marron's nose like a ton of bricks and bright, white lights burned into her tired eyes. A gorgeous brunette woman folding clothes at one of the displays stopped and clapped her hands together excitedly when she saw them.

"Mr. Brief! It's been a while since I've seen you here!"

Without missing a beat, Trunks flashed his best celebrity smile and took a prideful, glamourous stance. He took both sides of his suit jacket in his hands and peeled them away from his white shirt. He shook his head and laughed.

"We're headed to Château…can't show up looking like this, now can I? Whatcha got for me?"

"Oh!" The woman chirped, "Okay, how about we look over here?"

She started to wander away quickly and Trunks followed. Marron stood frozen in place, looking around at the shiny, expensive clothes like a kid in a candy store.

"Mare…go pick something. Anything. Trust me, it's fine. Besides…you'll look great in whatever you pick out."

Marron turned tomato red and rushed away from him. She heard him chuckle under his breath. Why did he have to be such a hopeless flirt?

After a few minutes, Marron came out of the dressing room wearing an outfit in her favorite shade of purple. She stared at herself in a three-way mirror and marveled at what a pricey dress could do for her slim figure. She actually appeared to have some curves. She turned to the other side and smiled as the shimmery, silk fabric glistened in the lights. The silver shoes she'd picked out matched perfectly, too.

"What do you think, Mr. Brief?"

Marron heard Trunks shuffling some clothes and answering the woman in a hushed tone. She heard the brunette's heels begin to click towards the checkout counter and decided it was now or never.

She walked out into the store and clicked her way over to Trunks. He was dressed in a nice, button-down shirt and black slacks. He was fixing his tie in the mirror, but stopped suddenly and turned around to face Marron. He lowered his head and peered upwards as though he was wearing sunglasses on the end of his nose. Marron watched his eyes travel from head to toe and blushed uncontrollably.

"Excuse me, but that is just too dangerous." Trunks said flatly.

"Dangerous? Oh…you think I might fall in these heels? I can get something flat…I just thought these looked nice…" Marron said quickly, looking down at her high heels in a small panic.

"Nah. It's not that."

Marron gulped nervously and peered up at Trunks timidly.

"It's just…you might be too damn hot and all the other dudes at the place will be checking you out. Can't have that, now can we?"

Her mouth fell open. How direct of him! Goten would never have said something like that to her. He began to laugh and turned around to the mirror again.

"I'm just playing. Well, not really. But let's get outta here. I wanna get some damn food."

Marron followed him over to the cash register. She pulled the tag from the dress slightly so she could see how much it cost. She was so excited to try it on that she hadn't looked. The many numbers on the tag caused her to start hyperventilating.

"A-are you really sure about this? I've never owned anything that cost this much..." Marron whispered at his side.

"Babe, I've got money. Don't worry about it. Enjoy it!" Trunks shrugged, handing over his platinum credit card to the woman.

"Always a pleasure, Mr. Brief."

While Trunks signed the card reader, Marron's eyes began to wander just as his had done to her. She noticed the sleeves of his new shirt were slightly too tight. He must have his usual clothes tailored to fit just right. Reaching for the reader was stretching the sleeves a bit to the extreme over his large muscles. He was clearly more in shape than Goten in the bulky muscle department. She found herself getting excited at the mere sight.

"You okay?" He asked, peeked up at her while putting the card back in his wallet.

"Hmm? Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. Hungry. Food. Yep."

Trunks smirked and waved goodbye to the woman behind the counter. She watched them leave, looking a bit jealous. Marron suddenly felt like this had evolved into something a bit more serious than a dinner with a friend. Was Trunks thinking the same thing?

When they finally walked inside of the chic restaurant Marron only ever dreamed of visiting just a few doors down, she felt herself fall into complete shock. The tall windows were draped elegantly with long, purple curtains that matched her dress. The tables each had a silk table cloth and even silk napkins. She saw rich people filling every table and sipping their wine with fine, crystal glasses. A live jazz band was playing on a small stage while people sawed away at their $100 stakes. She felt like she was in a dream.

A tall, thin man ran up to them from the back of the restaurant and greeted Trunks with a firm handshake and hug. This must be the guy that he talked to earlier, Marron thought.

"Good to see you, Trunks. I had my staff prepare the VIP lounge for you…you're going to totally love it."

The man winked and gestured for them to follow him. He gave Trunks a lustful look as he passed by, but completely ignored Marron. She got the sense that he wished he was there with Trunks instead of her.

"You got me my favorite one, right, bro?" Trunks asked obliviously.

"But of course. Only the best for you…" The man answered flirtatiously.

The man gave Trunks a wide smile before heading back to the front of the restaurant. Marron marveled at the wall of curtains in front of her while Trunks confidently opened one and motioned for Marron to walk through. She nervously entered and saw that it was a private booth with black velvet covering the cushions. A luxurious, silk tablecloth covered their table and a fancy bottle of wine sat chilled in the center.

"Scoot to the middle of the booth. You get a draft here on the end. I hate that about these." Trunks said, checking his phone quickly and looking around.

Marron nodded and scooted in nervously. She stopped approximately in the middle and stared upwards. A small chandelier hung over their table and sparkled in the dim lighting.

"Cozy, isn't it?"

Trunks scooted in and landed right beside her. His leg was pressed against hers and soon enough, his arm found its way around her shoulders as well. He was completely at home. Had he brought girls here before? Who was she kidding…of course he had!

"Let's see what they've got on the menu tonight." Trunks said, shaking the menu open in a swishing motion and examining it closely.

Marron leaned towards him nervously and noticed there wasn't a price beside any of the options. She assumed that meant it was obscenely expensive.

"The caramelized swordfish sounds really good…" Marron suggested quietly.

"That it does. I think I'll get that, too. Now for this wine…" Trunks smiled, closing the menu just as he'd opened it and reaching for the wine glasses.

"What kind is it?" Marron asked shyly.

"So this wine is super special. This merlot…it was the first wine I had after I turned twenty-one. Obviously I'd had alcohol before, but this was my first 'official' drink. My mom and dad took Bra and me out to celebrate here. Anyway, here's to…making new memories?"

He poured the wine into the fancy glasses. Again, a wave of sadness washed over her. She'd turned twenty-one after the big break up with Goten, so she hadn't even gotten a chance to celebrate yet. She felt sad and pathetic. Why did he have such a huge hold on her life?

"Hey, chin up. You thinking about your dad?" Trunks asked, handing her a glass.

"Y-yeah. Um…it's just a lot, you know?" Marron answered, taking the wine glass into her hand and swirling the wine around in it.

"I'm sure it is. But hey, he's in great hands. Cabba was in on that surgery, too…you know my brother is a crazy good surgeon, so let's just relax for a little while before you go back to all that. Let's toast to…hmm…having a great fucking time in some great company!"

Trunks held up his glass and tapped it against Marron's. She blushed. He tossed the glass back and drank almost the entire thing in one drink. Nervous and embarrassed, she took a tiny sip and pursed her lips together. She'd never had merlot before. It was quite strong and not at all sweet like she'd hoped.

"What?" He asked playfully, happy to see her smile.

She giggled and set down the glass. Desperate to find a topic to discuss, she noticed his shiny, grey tie and couldn't help herself from drawing a similarity to something else.

"You know, you're a lot like the guy in this movie I saw recently…"

He paused with his eyebrows raised before laughing loudly and filling up his glass again.

"I can openly admit to you that I am not _that_ much of a freak...sorta."

"What?" Marron gasped, shocked that he picked up on the reference.

"It's not like when I heard the description of the movie and the books that I didn't think of myself. I started reading those things and…well, I didn't know what I was getting into. Couldn't put it down until I finished them, you know? Fuckin hot."

Marron's eyes bulged from her head. She grabbed up her wine glass and took a large sip. She felt hot suddenly, like someone turned up the heat in the restaurant and began fanning herself. Trunks smirked at her and returned his arm to its place around her shoulders confidently.

"I can honestly say that I've never admitted the fact that I read those stupid books before. You just bring all that out of me, I guess." Trunks shrugged.

"I've never seen you like this before…" Marron shrugged.

"Like this? I don't get it." Trunks asked innocently.

Marron sighed and changed the subject.

"So um…what have you been up to lately? Work going okay?"

"Yeah! I'm the boss of everything and everyone. It's pretty great." Trunks laughed.

"Must be nice to be able to boss everyone around…" Marron said thoughtfully.

Trunks raised one eyebrow and smiled his crooked, Vegeta-like smile.

"Are you …suggesting somethin', gorgeous? First you bring up those books and now you ask if I like to boss people around? Well, well…didn't peg you for the type."

Marron choked on her wine, "I was just curious!"

After their delicious meals of swordfish and a decadent dessert of chocolate cake had been successfully devoured, the two sat quietly in their booth. Marron felt his thigh pressed up against hers. She could feel the tickle of his finger tips on her bare shoulder moving slightly down her arm. She started feeling hot again and took a sip of her ice water. Trunks shifted a bit, causing his hand to fall down to her waist. He pulled her closer to him.

"So…" Trunks began, staring up at the light fixture.

"So…What?" She answered nervously, peeking down at his hand.

"Nothin'." He answered, smiling to himself.

Marron traced the top of her water glass with one finger. She felt his eyes move downwards onto her chest and felt extremely flustered. Was he really checking her out so openly? She couldn't bear to look away from the table.

"You know…you're one tough girl to read. I've known you since…well, since we were little kids, but I feel like I barely know you. It's insane. How did that happen?" Trunks asked sincerely.

"Um…well, in high school I thought you hated me. I wasn't really a part of your crowd." Marron shrugged.

"Lies. I never hated you!" Trunks gasped, exaggerating and pulling her into a playful side hug.

"It's not a lie. You didn't even talk to me until…"

Marron stopped. She couldn't bring herself to say his name. Goten was Trunks' best friend. There was no way she could complain about him to Trunks and expect him to understand. Besides, he'd already asked her about him once. Why should she bring him up again?

"I know. Goten's an ass. You don't have to worry. I won't tell him." Trunks laughed

Marron gasped, "What?"

"Well, yeah. The dude's fucked up. Don't get me wrong, I love him like my brother and I'd seriously do anything for him…but…well, I get why you didn't want to actually marry the guy. He's got issues that started way before he met you."

Marron suddenly had a million questions. How could he possibly feel that way about Goten? They were inseparable since birth. She never imagined he'd actually admit that his friend was so flawed.

"I can't believe you get that…" Marron said, completely shocked.

"Did you think I was on his side of everything?" Trunks asked, looking down at her.

Marron shrugged, "I didn't know what you thought. We've never talked about it…"

"Wrong again." Trunks said, sipping his wine slyly.

"What?" Marron asked.

"It's nothing." Trunks answered quickly, "You're so sweet, you know that?"

Marron blushed and looked away. She felt his fingers begin to press into her waist and allowed him to pull her up to him again. She could smell his intoxicating cologne and felt her stomach tighten nervously. He was so terribly good looking.

"So…you read those books too, right?" Trunks asked, tapping his left hand on the table.

Marron nodded. She couldn't bring herself to speak. What was he getting at?

"You really think I'm like that guy? Hmmm…Maybe you'll have to find out for yourself sometime…"

Marron took in a sharp breath of air. She felt her thighs instinctively press together. A sensation of excitement spread over her like it hadn't in a very long time. She tilted her chin up to look into his eyes and smirked.

"What exactly do you mean by that, Trunks?"

"What do you think I mean, babe?" Trunks asked, leaning towards her with the intensity of a burning fire.

She blinked and felt her stomach do a little backflip. Her lips parted as she felt her breathing speed up.

"I…I don't know…what to say…" Marron whispered breathlessly.

Trunks glared at her with hungry eyes, "Don't say anything…"

Before she knew what was happening, his lips were pressed against hers and she was right up against his chest. She was locked into his arms like a helpless animal stuck in a trap. His mouth opened and closed a few times before she felt his tongue push her mouth open and lick her lips with precision. She shivered and exhaled. He traveled down her neck and bit down gently.

"Oh…"

She knew she had to pull away, but she couldn't bring herself to actually do it. It'd been six months since she felt the warmth of another's touch. It'd been even longer since she was actually excited about it. Her heart was racing. She didn't want him to stop.

In a sudden surge of courage, she crawled up onto his lap and kissed him like she'd never kissed anyone before. His energy was raw and primal, transferring to her with ease and sending her into the lustful abyss. As he started kissing her neck and shoulder again, she stared at the top button on his shirt and found herself wondering what it would be like if she undid just one…maybe two…

"What do you want, baby?" He asked seductively, grinding gently below her.

"I…"

"Tell me…" Trunks demanded, tugging on her hair.

She searched her mind for an answer. His impressively sized package below was pushing against her, making it hard to think. She wanted to give in right there, in the middle of a crowded restaurant. Just when she thought they actually might, his phone vibrated in his pocket. They both jumped.

"God dammit." Trunks groaned, reaching down and silencing it.

Marron stared at him with her mouth hanging open, still panting.

"You should…answer it…it could be…important…" Marron whispered, leaning against his face.

Trunks hesitated. He stared up at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"God you're gorgeous…"

"Answer it…" She laughed, sliding off of him and landing on the cushion.

"Fine…"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the phone.

"Hello? Yeah, hey, mom. Yeah, I'm with Marron. Yeah. Okay, I'll see you there."

Marron watched him closely, chewing on the tip of her thumbnail. When he hung up the phone and set it down on the table, she wanted to jump on top of him again, but he seemed to have shifted gears.

"Let's put a pin in this conversation. My mom invited everyone to her house tonight. You can spend the night there instead of the hospital. Your mom stayed behind, though. I'll take you over there if you want."

Marron nodded. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She didn't want the moment to end between them.

"Can we…do this again?" Marron asked shyly.

Trunks raised his eyebrows. He smiled and pulled her towards him again.

"Baby…we can do this any fuckin time."

 **CHAPTER FOUR**

As Pan sat against the window in the lobby, still seething from Trunks ditching her for Marron, she noticed a woman dressed in business clothes approaching rather quickly beside a short, angry looking man. A surgeon was trailing behind her trying to keep up with her fast pace. Pan recognized her right away.

Bulma's bright red heels clicked against the floor as she trotted towards the now larger crowd waiting for news about Krillin in the lobby. She paused when she saw Goku and let her mouth fall open.

"Bulma!" Goku yelled, hopping up from his seat and rushing forward to hug her.

"Goku…it's…so good to see you!" Bulma gasped.

She rushed forward and threw her arms around Goku's neck. She was delighted to see him. Her husband, Vegeta stood back a ways, but nodded at Goku for acknowledgment. He appeared to have missed his rival just a little bit as well.

As Bulma began chattering away with Goku, Eighteen stood up from her seat and frowned. Stomping over to them, she pushed Goku away and faced Bulma with anxiety and fear in her eyes.

"What's his status? No one has told us anything! Now is not the time for catching up with Goku!"

Bulma sighed and nodded apologetically. She turned to face her group of friends who stared back anxiously. The group turned their attention to the surgeon standing behind Bulma. Caulifla gasped, but Pan didn't register why. They all listened closely.

"Hello, everyone. Krillin is stable for now. No one can see him yet, and it'll be several hours before you can. We'd like to invite you all back to our home for some much needed rest…especially you, Eighteen. We won't know anything concrete until morning anyway."

Eighteen shook her head, "I need to be here with my husband! I need to know something! Where is he? I'll go find out for myself!"

Yamcha scrambled to his feet and grabbed her by the arms. Pan frowned. Since when was Yamcha so close to Eighteen that he could actually grab her without her snapping his neck? Everyone seemed to be bothered by Yamcha before.

"It's your right to stay the night here if you want...I can't force you to come home with us. I'll have a cot set up for you in a room, though. No need to stay out here in these chairs all night. The rest of you are still welcome to come to Capsule Corp with me and rest comfortably." Bulma assured the group.

The group began to get up one by one and head towards the exit to eagerly accept Bulma's luxurious invitation. Bulma stayed behind and continued her previously interrupted conversation with Goku, but Vegeta slid in between them and popped Goku on the chest with his fist. Pan got excited and watched closely.

"Kakarot…we really were starting to think that we wouldn't see you again. Beerus said you got bored with him…is this true?"

"Absurd." The little surgeon remarked.

Goku shrugged and smiled at Vegeta.

"I was on Broly's home planet! Turns out that it's perfect for training. Beerus came to visit a handful of times, but I preferred training with Broly and Caulifla. It was awesome…no distractions, just training. I've gotten much stronger! We should spar soon!"

Vegeta looked like he might hit Goku in the face, but instead crumbled into his usual cocky smile and shrugged. He looked to either side quickly and whispered, "How about right now?"

Chichi growled angrily and pointed at Vegeta.

"Okay, you two. Now is not the time, Goku!"

Goku surrendered to his wife and laughed. Bulma began looking around.

"Say, where are Marron and Trunks?" Bulma asked, "I wondered why I never got my coffee when I sent Trunks out…did they go somewhere?"

Pan stepped closer and crossed her arms.

"They went out. Without me." Pan pouted.

"Oh…Is Goten with them?" Bulma asked casually.

Chichi shook her head and gave Bulma the "drop it" look. She took the hint and shrugged, following after the group towards the door.

"Well, I'll see you all at the house!" Bulma waved.

Vegeta, who'd followed closely behind her, picked her up and kicked off into the sky. Clearly, he was still not a fan of cars or planes and wanted to make sure his wife arrived safe and sound. Pan watched them flying away and sighed. She'd probably never find someone she could fly around with. She'd be the one carrying the guy, which seemed super lame to her.

Realizing that Caulifla wasn't beside her anymore, Pan turned around and looked back through the hospital windows. She was standing in the lobby facing the surgeon. Pan felt an awkward sensation of tension as she watched them. The surgeon looked familiar, but it had been a long time since Pan was around the Brief family. She couldn't quite put her finger on who he was.

When everyone arrived at Capsule Corp, Bulma instantly turned on her hostess charm and invited everyone to a table filled with food from her personal chefs.

"How did you have time to make all of this?" Goku asked with drool beginning to form.

A few chefs standing near the kitchen door rolled their eyes.

"Oh, Goku…everyone dig in!" Bulma chuckled.

Everyone sat at the table happily and began to chit-chat. Soon enough, Trunks and Marron arrived. The front door was clearly visible from the dining room, so their arrival was awkwardly celebrated by the group.

Marron seemed flustered when Trunks took her coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door. He hung his own coat and turned back towards her. Only then did they both enter the dining room. Pan sensed something had changed between them, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Wow, you look so beautiful, sweetheart!" Chichi said sweetly.

Marron turned as red as a tomato and thanked her.

"Oh…thank you…Trunks um…" Marron stuttered.

"I took her shopping. Then we got dinner. She deserved a bit of a treat after today's shit show." Trunks shrugged.

" _Language_. That's nice of you, though." Bulma smiled, "Why's your face all red, honey?"

Marron and Trunks both seemed to react defensively. They looked at each other and then out at the group. Trunks finally began to speak.

"Oh, it's just really chilly out there. Phew. Glad I've got some clothes here. I need my heavier coat before I head home for the night." Trunks laughed, pulling out a chair for Marron, "This rain really cooled things down out there."

Marron sat somberly and began eating a small salad. She was staring into space and not really talking. Pan missed their previously close relationship. This wasn't even close to the girl she'd known when Goten was engaged to her. Marron began to feel like a sister for a while, which was so nice to have.

About thirty minutes of conversation went by when Marron started yawning. Pan noticed her giving Trunks some strange looks. She began to stand up and stretched out her arms, revealing just how gorgeous and shimmery her purple dress was against the chandelier above. Pan felt extremely jealous.

"Bulma…I think I'm gonna go to bed. Which room can I stay in?" Marron asked, looking innocent.

Bulma smiled and suggested a specific room. Pan couldn't hear them over her grandfather Goku laughing and harassing Vegeta at the end of the table. She leaned closer and listened harder.

"Trunks, could you take her?" Bulma asked.

Pan felt a searing jolt of jealousy again. Why did _he_ need to show her where her room was?

"S-sure…c'mon, Mare." Trunks said, wiping his mouth with a fancy napkin and standing up.

 _Mare_? Pan surely never heard Trunks refer to Marron as 'Mare' before.

They disappeared from view. Pan sat for only a few seconds before, boiling with anger, she began stabbing a piece of meat with her fork. Goku noticed and poked her shoulder.

"Can I have that if you're not going to eat it?" He asked innocently.

"Um, Bulma, where's the bathroom?" Pan grumbled, handing the fork to Goku.

"You can use the one down the hall…you know, the blue one?" Bulma suggested, confused that Pan even had to ask.

Pan got up from the table and stomped towards the hallway. She intended to simply cool off while staring into the mirror cursing Marron for stealing Trunks' attention, but she decided to do her own sleuthing instead.

She ran over to the massive staircase at the foyer of Bulma's house. Slowly, she peeked over her shoulder. When no one was looking, she started creeping upwards one step at a time. She wasn't sure which room Trunks was taking Marron to, but she could sense his relaxed energy coming from the right.

She climbed the last step and placed a foot down on the carpeted hallway. She could feel his energy growing a little stronger and turned towards it. She could hear them laughing.

"You are ridiculous!"

Marron was laughing loudly and clapped her hands. Pan flattened herself against the wall.

"I'm ridiculous? This was my room as a kid, thank you very much. Maybe you'd know that if we hung out more."

Pan frowned in anguish. She snuck down the hallway on her tip-toes. Behind and open doorway to the right, as she'd predicted, stood Trunks and Marron in Trunks' old bedroom. Marron was pointing to various posters of old bands and laughing, but Trunks was having none of it and defending his interest in them.

"They are totally a classic rock band. Literally everyone likes them. You probably like all that new crap, right? Man, whatever. Linkin Park is the best." Trunks said tartly, crossing his arms.

"For your information, I don't consider Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys to be pop." Marron shrugged, walking away from him and smiling.

Trunks looked completely baffled. He chased after her playfully and grabbed her arm.

"Then what the hell are they? Pop _is_ Justin Timberlake."

Marron turned around. She looked at him very seriously. Slowly, her hand rose up to his face. Her index finger pointed towards his nose. What was she doing?

"Britney isn't just pop. She's everything."

With that, she poked Trunks on the nose and sauntered away giggling. Trunks laughed hysterically and headed for the doorway. Pan panicked and flattened against the wall again, feeling exposed.

"Hey um…sleep well, okay? I know it's a shitty day for you, but I promise it'll be better tomorrow. I'll pick you up to go back over there tomorrow morning. And…I can stay…if you want, I mean." Trunks said smoothly, running a hand through his lavender hair.

Marron smiled warmly, "I'd like that."

"I'll pick you up at nine, then. I know you'll wanna get back over there early." Trunks said confidently.

"Wait."

Trunks stopped. Pan relaxed.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Tonight was…"

Her voice trailed off. Pan heard Trunks walk back over to her. She slowly peeked around the corner again.

"It was perfect." He answered, "I don't want you to feel pressured or anything…I know it's a hard time. I guess my timing has never been perfect."

There was a pause. Pan felt the air thicken. He was standing so close to her. What were they doing?

"Let's do it again, then. It doesn't have to be fancy…I just like spending time with you. It's really nice." Marron shrugged, sitting down on the bed.

"Really nice, huh?"

Marron giggled. Trunks leaned over her on the bed and caressed her cheek with his fingers. Pan's face flushed red.

"Yeah…nice…"

It happened so fast. He was kissing her, then she was grabbing his hair, then they were on the bed. He was actually on top of her. Pan panicked. She scrambled down the hall and back down the stairs clumsily. She headed for the bathroom she originally intended to hide in and locked the door behind her.

What was she doing? Spying? Trunks was a grown man, uninterested in the likes of a teenager. Never mind the fact that it was illegal for him to like her anyway. But did it really mean that she couldn't love him in secret? Did it mean she couldn't root for him to stay single long enough so that she could grow up and catch his attention then? She'd had a crush on him for as long as she could remember. There was never competition before. Marron was always with Goten; never Trunks.

It was hopeless. Pan shrunk down onto the floor and hid her face between her knees. She'd probably never get a boyfriend. How she wished she could just fast forward through her teen years and turn into a beautiful, desirable woman. Maybe Trunks would look at her differently then. Maybe she could compete with the beautiful, fairy-like creature known as Marron.

 **CHAPTER FIVE**

Night was beginning to creep over the horizon of West City when Goten exited the hospital. The street lights were starting to come on and the air was getting colder, though it'd finally stopped raining. Families with children no longer occupied the large park at the center of the city across the street from where he stood. College students were walking around and heading in to local bars and clubs. Even homeless people increased in number, despite the dropping temperatures and chilly breeze flying off of the big water fountain in the park.

Goten felt perplexed as he sat down near said fountain pondering his latest conversation with Marron. He'd been honest for once, yet even then she still seemed to show affection for him. There was something about the way she looked at him that spoke to him without words. He knew she still loved him, but it was something more than that. He couldn't believe he'd almost committed his life to her when he simply couldn't return that incredibly deep sensation.

Perhaps that's why it was so difficult for him to let her go over the past six months. He thought about her all the time, even when he tried to date other women. He was beginning to wonder if maybe she was the only love he'd ever really have. After all, he'd fully intended to marry her before everything crumbled down around them, despite his inner self screaming for him to change his mind the entire time.

Why did people have to change so much? Why couldn't they just stay the same? If he was the same man she'd known in their younger years, maybe he could have gone through with the wedding. Maybe he could have a modest little family in a small, country house. Maybe he could have ended up just like his own family.

 _But that's not what he really wanted._

Goten dreamed of becoming a doctor for a long time, but his motivation was misplaced. Everyone he met in college had the same response to the age old question of why they were putting themselves through the hell of medical school and residency. They wanted to save lives. Every single person he met had that same answer, even Cabba, Bulma and Vegeta's adopted son had that answer about his own surgical training. The education majors that Marron hung around had a similar answer when asked why they would suffer through the public school system. They wanted to help children learn.

Goten's answer was different.

His intentions were never based on someone else. He was selfish, this he knew, but he didn't realize just how conceited he'd become until he graduated and headed off for medical school. The difficult classes, the blood and guts, and the rigorous schedule were all super easy for him. It was something else.

"Hey!"

Goten's private thoughts stopped abruptly. He saw a familiar face approaching him and wanted to run.

"Goten! You arrogant, lying asshole!"

The woman he'd planned to take to the party that night was furious. He'd been ignoring her texts since he arrived at the hospital, including those he was sure she didn't want to fall into the wrong hands somehow.

"Where the hell have you been? I send you those pictures of me and then you just vanish? I sure hope you aren't planning on sending them around. Show me your phone! Delete them!"

Her friends were gathering behind her, eager for an all-out screaming match. Several girls even had their own phones out, ready to record. Were they trying to catch him getting angry to get him in trouble?

"Valese…I'm really sorry about everything, okay? A friend…well, her dad's in the hospital and it's bad. I just lost track of time while I was there..." Goten admitted honestly, still annoyed at the scene she'd created.

"A girl? What the hell were you doing with some girl all day? Do you actually have a girlfriend or something?" She screeched, causing her friends to gasp and whisper angrily.

He laughed into his hand. This woman was the exact definition of a crazy bitch.

"Okay. Sorry. I'm done here. Have fun at that party without me tonight."

Goten got up and turned away from her. He started walking, half hoping that she would chase after him. When she didn't, he felt even more pathetic for wanting her to in the first place.

Goten was lonely. This was a fact. Their friends had mostly taken Marron's side in the breakup, leaving him fairly friendless aside from Trunks and Cabba. Trunks was taking over Capsule Corp soon and never had time to hang out anymore. Cabba was an accomplished surgeon living the life Goten intended to live. Even Goten's older brother Gohan was more busy than ever and unable to pay so much as a measly call to Goten once in a while.

He wandered out of the park and towards the bustling dive-bar area. Drinking would be a nice escape from his blunder of a day, he thought, looking around.

He passed several crowded bars, but one stood out from the rest. It was more of a dance club than a sports type of bar. Neon lights were shining out of the black doorway and music was thumping loudly. Two bodyguards stood outside and checked IDs of those wishing to enter. He read "21 and up" on the door and nodded to himself. No kids, he thought.

"Ten dollar cover…not bad…" Goten sighed, taking out his wallet and heading towards the guards.

After checking his ID far too thoroughly, they finally allowed him to enter. He walked through the dark doorway and headed down a long hallway. Posters of bands and event nights littered every inch of the black walls. He wondered if this was a newer club. They seemed to be trying pretty hard to advertise their future events. The floor was also fairly clean compared to others he'd been to. He couldn't remember the last time he felt like the floor of a club was relatively sanitary.

At the end of the tunnel-like hallway, he entered into another universe. The club was gigantic inside. He couldn't see the ceiling aside from two huge chandeliers above him. The lights bounced off of their crystals and onto the walls, which were made to look like an old opera house. At the front of the dancefloor, a DJ balcony revealed several people working to create hypnotic music that pounded in Goten's ears and radiated over his entire body.

Pleasantly surprised, he made his way through the crowd and sat on a barstool at the bar on the opposite side of the club. The counter was sticky with spilled drinks, so he tried not to touch it. Typical, he thought. Who was careless enough spill their expensive drinks?

The bartenders were working overtime. They scurried back and forth, tending to tons of people who held out cash to attract their attention. Goten groaned and reached into his pocket. He began to pull out cash, but changed his mind and took out his credit card instead. A bartender instantly noticed him and rushed over.

"Tab?" The bartender asked.

"Yeah, man. Lemme get a White Russian." Goten nodded confidently.

"You got it."

The bartender quickly poured him a drink and started his tab on the computer. Goten wasn't one to drink for fun, anyway. If he was going to drink, he was going to get drunk.

After three White Russians, a few beers and two blue vodka shots, Goten began to feel fuzzy. He struck up a conversation with some people at the bar and decided to join them when they hit the dance floor. They had several hot women with them, each of which was intrigued by Goten's muscular appearance and snarky personality.

He anxiously squeezed into the surging crowd and began showing off his drunken but still pretty decent dance moves. One by one, he danced with at least twenty girls within the first hour and a half. Several of the girls he'd met at the bar began bringing shots into the crowd and offering them to him. He slammed them back and kept partying like he was still in college. A saiyan liver was definitely indestructible.

In the midst of all the hot bodies grinding up against each other, a girl dancing near Goten noticed his apparent lack of human limitations. She approached him with two shots in hand and offered one, smiling and tipping her own shot back before he answered her.

"Hell yeah!" Goten yelled, taking the shot from her hand.

"Wow…you're really partying hard. Special occasion?" She asked flirtatiously.

"Nah. It's just how I roll." Goten answered, winking at her.

"Okay, weirdo." She giggled.

She began dancing with him. The heavy electronic music was pounding in Goten's ears like thunder. His body was numb and his movements were clumsy. He couldn't help but grab on to her tighter than he normally would with a stranger. To his surprise, she didn't pull away. Instead she twisted and turned harder against him, dropping to the floor and sliding her back side slowly up Goten's legs more than once.

"Holy shit!" Goten exclaimed, feeling her hand slide up his neck.

She drew her hand slowly back down his neck before stopping on his chest and turning around. He couldn't make out her face very well in the dark, but he didn't care. He felt her pressing against him and worried she might feel just how excited he was by her dancing. Yet again, instead of pulling away, she surprised him by yanking him downwards by his shirt and kissing him. She was wearing heels, but she was still extremely short compared to Goten.

"Damn…" He mouthed between kisses, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist.

"There's a bathroom over there. Let's go." She whispered in his ear, "Let's see what you can really do, mister iron liver."

Goten laughed dangerously and allowed her to pull him towards the bathroom by his hand. The lighting was still dim, but a neon-red light above the bathroom revealed an impatient line of girls looking at them with judgy expressions. The girl holding onto Goten's hand didn't seem to care. He saw her long ponytail bounce back and forth when she looked around for an alternative. Just when Goten noticed the door to a broom closet, the girl was already starting to yank him towards it.

"You sure about this?" Goten asked through half-open eyes while she pulled the door open.

She ignored him and shoved him inside. When the door closed, they were in total darkness. She wasted no time reaching out for him and slamming him against the wall with force that he'd never experienced in his life.

Her explosive kiss was like fire that burned every nerve cell in his body. He felt a magnetic attraction to this mystery girl and couldn't pull away. Instead, he shoved her backwards and into another wall, tripping over what felt like a broom. She moaned slightly and he started kissing her neck, holding her hands above her head in a deadlock.

"You like that, girl?" Goten asked seductively.

Who was he kidding? What a weird thing to ask.

"Yeah!" She moaned, arching her back towards him.

He smirked and felt his confidence soar. He backed away and let her down from the wall, anxious to get things going. She turned around and rubbed against him like she had on the dance floor. He felt his eyes roll back in his head. She was driving him crazy.

"Alright, you asked for it…" He said aggressively.

He fumbled with the zipper on his pants and let them fall to his ankles. He placed his hands on either side on her hips and slid them up underneath her tiny dress, finding two strings of her delicate thong.

"Mmm…" She moaned.

In one swift motion, he pulled on both sides and completely ripped it away from her body. She squealed, but pushed her backside up against him, begging for more.

Goten was literally losing his mind. He felt her long ponytail dangling down her shoulders and grabbed it into one hand, pulling her head back slightly. In a raging fit of hormones, he shoved himself inside of her forcefully.

As Goten listened to her twisted moans and screams, he felt his entire body reverberating with pleasure. He was by no means a virgin, but he'd never felt such an intense sensation in his life. This girl wasn't just letting him have control, even in her bent over, vulnerable position.

"Yeah! Fuck me harder!" She screamed, holding herself up against the wall with one hand.

"Holy shit!" Goten exclaimed to himself.

He continued to pound harder and harder, until she decided it was her turn to take control. She pulled away from him and flipped around, again slamming him into the wall and crawling up onto him like a wild animal. She wrapped both legs around him and slid onto him again, forcing him to bounce her up and down as he held onto her backside. He felt her long hair flying all over and sticking to their sweaty bodies.

"Yes! Fuck yes!" She screamed again, pulling his hair.

He felt himself getting close to the end. It'd been a while since his last time, in addition to the fact that he was completely drunk. He was relatively pleased with himself for lasting as long as he was in the first place. He decided it would be best to pull out and placed both hands on her hips to prepare for lift off.

"What the…"

An intense burning sensation stung his neck suddenly. He felt his eyes roll back into his skull and growled instinctually. Blood trickled down his neck and onto his chest.

He didn't know what was happening. An overwhelming blossom of pleasure erupted within him and forced him to return the delightfully painful act. Before he could think, his teeth were latched onto her neck and unable to let go. He was completely out of control and still slamming her up and down against him. Still connected to her skin, he crashed into her one last time before letting go.

Goten felt like his head was going to explode. The climb to the top was slow and agonizing, almost more than he could handle. The explosion of pleasure was so delicious that he felt like he might lose consciousness.

When he'd emptied all he had into her, he released her from his bite and braced for her to do the same. Strangely, it didn't hurt when her teeth pulled from his skin. He felt a slight burst of pleasure instead. He held her in place on his thighs and felt her hug his neck tightly.

"Oh, my God, that was like…amazing." She whispered.

"Yeah, I can't believe I actually had sex in a fuckin broom closet." He laughed.

He heard her giggle and snuggle into his chest. Why did that laugh sound familiar?

"What was with that bite thing, though? It's like…I dunno…were we even human there for a second? Ha…Funny…" She trailed off.

Goten laughed awkwardly, but paused. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. The laugh, the attraction…her strength. He panicked and released her from his grasp.

"Ow! What are you doing? You just totally dropped me!"

Goten ignored her question and began searching for a light switch.

"What the hell are you doing?" She demanded.

"I'm looking for the-here!" Goten found the light switch and turned it on.

He felt his jaw drop to the floor in disbelief. How had he not noticed before? How could he be so stupid?

"B-Bra?" He mumbled.

"Oh…shit..." Bra answered.

"Why…what…how…" Goten stammered.

"I was out with friends, it's not like I knew it was you…" She said defensively.

"Are you even old enough to drink? How the hell are you even allowed in here?" He demanded, rubbing his forehead rigorously.

She scoffed, "I am what my ID says I am!"

Goten buried his face in his hands. She scoffed and crossed her arms.

"What the hell are you doing here anyways? Aren't you too old for this club?" Bra said coolly.

Goten sighed, "I'm only twenty-two! But you'd know that if we'd ever actually had a conversation before!"

"Tch!"

He stared into space for a while, completely shocked about what he'd just done. How could he do this to his best friend? Trunks would never forgive him for banging his little sister.

"Hello? Earth to Goten? You should put some pants on now…or not…whatever…"

Goten snapped out of his trance and pulled up his pants quickly. She giggled, but he noticed that she was reaching up to her neck and holding pressure to the wound.

"Um…so why'd you bite me? I'd never have pegged you to be into that kind of stuff…" Goten asked.

She laughed, "I was gonna ask you the same thing."

Goten frowned, "You did it first!"

She put one hand on her hip in typical Bulma fashion, still covering her neck with the other. He smirked.

"You were the one being all rough! I guess I'm lucky you didn't go super saiyan on me! You must have just got me over excited or something. It's not like I've ever slept with a saiyan before..."

She seemed to be telling the truth. Even if she wasn't and had gotten that way before with another guy, he felt oddly sympathetic towards her. It was as though his brain was inclined to believe whatever she said. That was strange for him, considering he'd grown up as the best friend of her brother yet barely knew her. She always ditched family events to hang out with friends and she definitely never spoke to Goten at school.

"Bra…I know we don't really know each other very well. I get that. But, was that some kind of saiyan thing? I feel…weird."

She looked surprised and blushed slightly. She stared down at her feet and shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't ask my mom or my brother about those things. Hey, maybe you could ask my brother?" She paused, "Oh wait. He'd probably kill you for screwing his sister…"

Goten sighed. They were still standing extremely close to each other, given the size of the closet. She looked a bit ashamed. Was he that much of a disappointment? Was she regretting it?

"I'm sorry…I'm so drunk, I guess I just thought it wouldn't matter…I didn't mean to fuck everything up." Goten said softly.

She didn't immediately answer. Her big, blue eyes were searching for the proper thing to say. After an eternity, she dropped her shoulders and sighed loudly.

"No, you didn't. It's not like I regret it. It was pretty great. And for the record, I am actually nineteen, so it's not like you did anything wrong. I guess I kinda…drank too much, too."

Goten smiled warmly. At least she didn't think he was repulsive. He was positive a girl as hot as she was would regret sleeping with a loser like him.

Bra took a few clumsy steps towards the door. Goten stayed still, afraid to move after he realized he was leaning on a few mop handles that would probably fall.

"So…could you take me home?" Bra asked innocently, "I shouldn't like…drive or anything, right?"

Goten shrugged, "Yeah, me neither. We can walk?"

"Okay. That's cool." Bra answered, still awkward.

"Wait…Home? No way, I can't! My whole family is at your mom's!" Goten gasped.

She laughed drunkenly, "Well, it's probably super late, right? They'll all be sleeping! Besides, I'm like a fuckin ninja at coming home late."

He took out his phone and lit up the screen. He had several missed calls from his mom and a text from Gohan scolding him for not answering the calls. He rolled his eyes and shoved the phone back in his pocket. Why couldn't they understand that he was an adult now and didn't have to answer their every beck and call?

"Actually…it's okay. I'll walk you home."

She smiled and opened the door, "Yay!"

In the area around the bathrooms, a line of girls still took up most of the space. Several of them looked mortified when Goten followed Bra out of the closet, but some of them gave him a thumbs up and laughed. Goten felt embarrassed. He put his arm around her shoulders and started towards the exit as she laughed and flipped her hair at some jealous girls. She knew no shame, apparently.

Outside of the club, the streets were beginning to grow a little less populated. Bra seemed a little nervous, looking over her shoulders and shivering. He wondered why she would've gone out without a coat, but then remembered who he was talking about.

"You want my coat?" Goten asked, tripping over the sidewalk and laughing at himself.

Bra laughed loudly in response and nodded, "Yeah, I'm freezing."

He took off his favorite leather jacket and wrapped it around Bra's shoulders. They stood still for a moment.

"Even if I wasn't drunk as shit...I couldn't drive you home, you know." He shrugged.

"What, no car?" She asked rather bluntly, "I thought everyone had a car…"

"N-no, not that…I have a bike." Goten answered quickly, slightly offended.

"A bike?" She asked, giggling, "Like…a bicycle?"

"A motorcycle." He corrected.

"Oh!"

Bra danced on her high heels and clapped her hands together. Goten rolled his eyes.

"I can't drive it. Remember? Drunk as shit?" Goten repeated.

"Oh…" Bra stopped dancing and sighed loudly, "Guess we really will just have to walk. It's not too far."

The pair agreed and began the walk towards Capsule Corp. After a few minutes Goten was starting to freeze, but he knew the under-dressed blunette to his right needed it more than he did.

"So what's our story when we go inside? What if someone's awake?" Bra asked.

"Um…I'm staying at Trunks' place tonight." He answered flatly.

"Why? Just stay at my place. It's not like anyone will suspect anything between us." Bra shrugged, "You can stay in Cabba's room. He's always at the hospital."

"My dad is back. He's probably there and I _really_ don't wanna see him right now."

Goten's face fell into despair. He'd completely forgotten about Goku. He'd even forgotten that his bike was currently shattered into pieces. Drunk or not, he couldn't hide the fact that Goku was the last person on Earth he wanted to see at such a weird time in his life. Bra looked a little concerned but changed the subject quickly to avoid anything too personal.

"My dad is such a pain in the ass. He totally didn't give a shit about what Trunks and Cabba did when they were teenagers, but he's always all up in my business about everything. Like, I can't even go shopping without him being like 'stop spending your mother's money' blah blah blah. So lame."

Goten rolled his eyes and laughed, "Wow…"

"I know, right?" She responded, unaware of her own ignorance.

Bra reached down into her purse and pulled out two small bottles of vodka. She handed one to Goten and promptly drank the other herself in gulp.

"The hell…" Goten laughed.

"Look, you're only young once. You should loosen up. I needed one more to take the edge off. You really messed me up, big guy."

Loosening up was same phrase he once recited to Trunks on a daily basis. It was the reason Marron fell for Goten so quickly. It was the reason why most people genuinely liked him in high school. He was the king of easy going.

 _What happened to him?_

He took the bottle and screwed off the cap angrily. He slurped it down and tossed the bottle onto the ground behind them.

"Ohhh, littering is bad, Goten." Bra smirked.

"Fuck that. You got any more in there?"

"Do I have any more…ha! You're a funny guy." She answered happily.

They stopped and sat on the hood of a neighbor's car that was parked along the curb. They laughed and talked for so long that Goten could no longer feel the tips of his fingers. He couldn't seem to stop talking. She was so oddly different from anyone he'd ever met and completely mesmerizing to him. Unlike Marron, a predictable good girl, Bra was completely out of the ordinary. He'd always considered her to be a spoiled rich girl, but the layer below that was one of mystery and absolute hilarity. Talking to her was easier than walking. He simply wanted to hear everything she had to say.

"So I'm gonna go inside now. C-can I keep your jacket for tonight? It's like…really cold." Bra slurred, pointing at his chest.

"I guess I'll just freeze to death, then." Goten answered, leaning over and accidentally falling off the car.

They laughed and Bra helped him up by one hand. He stood up, confident in his drunken state, and stared down at her. She was holding her high-heeled shoes in one hand and terribly short compared to his ridiculous height, but he liked short girls. He leaned down and hugged her tightly around her tiny waist.

"Tonight was awesome. We should do it again." He said sincerely.

"Text me…I put my number in your phone." Bra answered flirtatiously, "I'll be looking for it."

When they separated, Bra stumbled towards her front door barefoot. Goten watched her go and smiled when she tripped, caught herself, and laughed. She was something else.

When she'd successfully snuck into the house and waved goodbye, he returned to same car hood and took out his phone. Now that he was alone, he realized just how drunk he was. He couldn't see very well and scrolled clumsily through his numbers. Hoping he was correct, he hit Trunks' name. It rang several times before he finally answered.

"Yo…" Trunks mumbled, half asleep.

"Hello?" Goten said excitedly, "Trunks! Hey. Uh…where are you?"

Trunks was silent for a moment.

"I'm at my condo. In bed. Dude, it's like four AM."

Goten looked at the time on his phone and smacked himself on the head.

"I'm so sorry, man…I know it's late. It's crazy how time flies, right? So, listen…I'm really drunk so I can't go to your mom's place and face my mom like this. She'll kick my aaasssss. Can I stay with you tonight?"

Trunks sighed loudly, "Yeah. Where the hell are you now? Do you need me to pick you up or…?"

"Nah, brah. I can fly there. I'm not far." Goten laughed, peering over at Capsule Corp's front door.

"I see…alright. I'll let the guard know to let you up. You're a fuckin' idiot by the way." Trunks groaned.

Goten did feel like a complete idiot for calling him so late, but what are rich best friends with nice, big condos for when you're wasted in the city? He didn't need to know what Goten had been up to, or at least specifically.

Within about ten minutes of flying, he landed outside of Trunks' condo building. It was huge and crept into the sky above the clouds. He knew Trunks was on the penthouse floor, but he couldn't quite remember how to get in. He stared at the gated entrance and half hazardly poked the intercom button.

"Rich dudes…" Goten murmured as he punched in Trunks' number.

After two rings, the intercom answered.

"Goten, get your ass up here and stop waking me up! I actually have to work in the morning."

"Oh, okaaay, your highness." Goten mocked sarcastically as the intercom cut off and the gate opened.

Still laughing at his creative response, Goten wandered inside and waved at a security guard sitting with a newspaper behind the front desk. He recognized the man as the one who is always on night duty. The guard nodded towards the elevators and continued reading, but watched over the top of the paper as Goten wobbled along.

When Goten reached the elevators, he slapped the up button and watched the numbers above slowly count down from its last stop on the 22nd floor. When it finally arrived, he tripped inside and hit the button labeled PH.

"Penthouse. Ugh." Goten groaned.

A small hole beside the button lit up. He stared at it, confused for a few seconds before remembering the key Trunks gave him ages ago. It'd been a while since he needed to use his own copy since Trunks was usually with him when they rode the elevator.

"Here you go." He said, pulling out his keys and finding the correct one.

The elevator closed and jolted upwards, knocking an already unsteady Goten onto the floor.

"Whoa!" He yelled, alcohol beginning to turn on him.

The elevator opened to reveal Trunks' lavish foyer. He stepped off, again tripping over the metal barrier separating the elevator with the light brown, marble flooring. He blinked a few times and peered around.

"Damn…"

Trunks had been busy redecorating lately. With his latest upgrade to CEO about to be complete, he had money to burn in his bank accounts. He'd paid a slew of interior decorators to turn what used to be a pretty bland place to call home into a luxury palace.

Goten walked forward towards the stairs that cascaded upwards and split in two directions. The marble steps were lined with elegant black railing that led the way. Above, a diamond chandelier that matched the swirly design of the railing hung in the middle of his now all tan living room.

"Goten, you dumbass. It's a random Tuesday! What the hell were you out getting wasted for?"

Trunks began to descend his staircase, tying his lavish housecoat shut. Goten leaned backwards and rested an arm on the baby grand piano behind him.

"Dude…do you even know how to play piano?" Goten asked.

"You didn't answer my question." Trunks countered, stomping down onto the main level in slippers.

"You look like a total dweeb." Goten laughed.

"And you look like an unemployed drunk." Trunks scoffed.

"Whatever, dude. I'm gonna sleep down here, okay? Your elevator made my stomach do some flips. I've totally got the spins, bro."

Goten wandered over to Trunks' couch and flopped down, face-first.

"I have a perfectly good guest room upstairs…" Trunks suggested.

"Goodnight Goten, goodnight Trunks!" Goten muttered into the couch.

Trunks sighed, "Alright, suit yourself. See you in the morning, bro!"

 **CHAPTER SIX**

The next morning, the sun peeked through the expensive curtains in Trunks' penthouse and shined into Goten's face. He grumbled and tried to hide in the cushions, but the little red pillows he'd been drooling on slid out from under him and fell onto the floor.

He couldn't remember where he was right away. He didn't remember much of anything from the night before. He laid motionless, drifting between sweet sleep and painful hangover twinges in his stomach. He hoped he could make it through the morning without throwing up, but knowing his body, that was wishful thinking. Amidst the peaceful silence, Goten's phone buzzed in his pocket. Debating at first, he finally reached down slowly and pulled the phone up to his face.

"Hello?" He grumbled.

He squinted at the screen and realized he missed the call. Soon enough though, a voicemail arrived. He pressed the voicemail button and draped his arm over his eyes while his mother ripped him apart for never coming back to Bulma's. Once she'd gotten it all out of her system, she briefly explained that Krillin was doing a bit better. He was happy to hear that.

Satisfied and struggling to fully wake up, he checked the time on his phone.

"7:00 in the morning? Ugh!" He growled.

Now frustrated and slightly hungry, he rolled over on the couch. He wasn't used to a fancy couch not made for sleeping and rolled right off of the edge with a loud bang onto the floor.

"Owww!"

He stayed face down. The room was spinning and he felt his stomach turning angrily again. He wondered why he continued to drink and put himself through these terrible hangovers.

"Oh, look who's finally up…"

Goten tried to sit up slowly and held his head. He saw that Trunks was standing in the kitchen and leaning against the wall with a coffee mug in his hand.

"Those pillows you're drooling on cost $100 each…" Trunks complained, "Come eat some breakfast so you don't puke on them, too."

He began ruffling a brown bag on the counter.

"Owww…God that is so loud." Goten moaned, covering his ears.

Trunks laughed and tossed a bagel. It landed right between Goten's eyes and sent him flying backwards onto the floor again.

"Shit, dude!" Goten shouted.

"I know you don't like cream cheese or anything because you're weird, so there's your plain-ass, naked bagel. Eat it."

Goten sat up for the last time and crawled back onto the couch with his bagel in hand. He started to eat, but Trunks was humming. It was odd. He took out a bagel for himself from the bag and hummed a little tune all the way over to his trash can.

"Dude…what's with the humming? Do I need to go or something? Still got a chick here somewhere from last night?"

Trunks laughed a little nervously and deflected Goten's curiosity.

"Oh, forget about me, I'm just in a good mood. Besides, what the hell happened to you last night? You went out and got hammered because your dad came back, right? Come on. My dad never gave a shit about me and you don't see me having problems with it. Especially on a fuckin' Tuesday night. You need a real job. I wonder if whatever chick you hung out with last night knows you're basically a farmer living in your mom's house…"

Goten nibbled on the bagel quietly and rolled his eyes. Trunks was right. There was nothing Goten could say to defend his actions. He felt silly, but at the same time, Trunks had no idea that he and Marron had yet another fight the day before. She's what set him off to drink, not Goku. He couldn't tell Trunks that, though. It was just too embarrassing. It would probably just lead to another lecture about letting her go once and for all.

"Your dad is a total weirdo, though...it's not a good comparison between us. Some of that weird rubbed off on you. I don't think I've ever heard you hum, even after getting laid. Must've been one hell of a chick."

Trunks shrugged and nodded. He looked down at his phone and began scrolling with his thumb. He stopped for a while and seemed to be reading something important. Goten watched him curiously, waiting for some kind of reaction that never came. He still wasn't used to the businessman that Trunks had become. If anything, Trunks could have turned out to be the strongest warrior of all of their race with his father's help. Trunks' parents always supported his training, unlike Goten's mother when he was young. It was obvious that Trunks was keeping up with his training, too. Goten noticed the seams of Trunks' expensive suit pulling on his massive arms and looked down at his own. He could definitely stand a few rounds in the gym, but why bother? Fighting wasn't a part of his life anymore.

"So how is the corporate life treating you? You're stacked as ever, I see…" Goten said, looking around the penthouse.

"It's alright. I mean, I always knew I'd take over for mom, but…I kinda wish Bra would take more initiative, ya know? She's still such a kid. I can't believe she's turning twenty soon. It's crazy, right?" Trunks chuckled.

Goten choked on his bagel. A flood of visions from the night before washed across his mind in quick flashes. He'd completely forgotten about Bra. He had to cover quickly.

"Y-yeah, man. So weird!" Goten coughed.

"So, you and Valese have a good time last night? I thought about going to that party but I can't stand that chick. She's hot, though. I see why you'd hit that."

"V-Valese! Right! Yeah, man…so hot…so damn hot..." Goten lied, secretly picturing Bra and staring off into space.

Trunks caught on to the lie and jumped up from the couch, startling Goten to death.

"Oh my God! It wasn't her, was it? Shit, dude…that's cold. Every guy in the city has tried to get with that girl and you already screwed it up? I knew it. I tried to tell you before…she's a total bitch. I've heard things…you're better off. Was it just some random girl?"

Goten stared at Trunks. He was terrible at lying, but he had to think of something.

"Uh…"

"Dude, it's cool. It's just me. No judgement. Besides, it's not like I have the best track record with women. I can't remember my last time…" Trunks lied, taking a sip of coffee from his red Capsule Corp mug and blushing.

"Well, I mean…you know me. Impulsive as always, I guess. It was just some girl at the club…she was uh…"

Goten felt a rumble in his stomach and the room suddenly began to spin out of control. He felt a horrible urge to rid himself of last night's alcohol. He broke into a cold sweat and held his breath.

"You okay?" Trunks asked, peering up from his phone and sitting back down onto the couch casually.

"N-no…where's the bathroom?" Goten answered, turning green.

"Seriously? Over there…don't you throw up on my floor!" Trunks pointed angrily.

"One sec." Goten coughed, holding his mouth and leaning forward.

He ran to the bathroom and heard Trunks yell something about being late to work. Goten didn't care. Trunks could skip any time that he wanted to. It was the glory of being the big boss man in charge, right?

As Goten sat slumped over the toilet feeling awful, he wondered what happened to the days of heavy drinking without a hangover. Goten felt a little piece of his youth slipping away with each heave. He didn't care about Trunks being late to work, but he certainly cared about the fact that he couldn't hold his liquor anymore. He was getting older. It was time to make better decisions, but he just didn't want to.

After a while, Goten sat back onto the floor to catch his breath. He felt disgusting, but at least he was getting rid of all the vodka he drank. He should've known better. Tequila or rum for fun, vodka for pain. He should have just stuck with his favorite, good ol' gin.

A small beep sounded over the speaker in the living room. Trunks groaned loudly. He could hear him stomping his feet over to answer the call. Out of curiosity, he scooted a little closer to the door to listen. Trunks pressed the sound button with another beep, but before he could say anything, a bold voice cut him off.

"Hey you asshat, let me in this stupid gate!"

The voice sent cold chills up and down Goten's spine. He went rigid.

"With manners like that, how could I possibly say no, Princess pain-in-the-ass?" Trunks answered sarcastically.

With another beep, the gate outside unlocked for the guest to enter. They would be heading for the elevators now.

"Shit! Shit…shit…" Goten began whispering frantically to himself.

He scurried up to his feet and

There was a knock at the door soon after. Goten was still on his knees in the bathroom, feeling sicker than he'd ever felt. The cold floor was sending shockwaves up his body with every ache and pain he felt. He got up and sat on the edge of the tub, but the room was still spinning and he fell backwards.

"Ow!"

He groaned to himself yet again. He knew he had to get up and face them. It was the only way to make things seem normal to Trunks. Bra would probably be acting normal.

Goten sighed and decided he might be overreacting. He reached up with his long, muscular arm and pulled on the curtain to help himself up.

"Shit!"

In a split second, the curtain rings snapped one by one and down he went again. He landed harshly with a thud and smacked the back of his head on the edge of the tub. As he laid there quietly, covered by the shower curtain and completely devoid of dignity, he decided to listen and see if he could overhear the conversation happening in the living room without leaving the bathroom at all.

"What are you doing here? I didn't know you could even get up this early in the morning." Trunks groaned.

"I left a pair of shoes here the other day. I need them." She said flatly.

"Okay…" Trunks trailed off.

Goten stopped paying attention and tried to adjust himself in the tub so he wasn't so uncomfortable. The room continued to spin, but the shower curtain made a nice eye mask to hide from the bright lights. Once he was settled, he began to eavesdrop again.

"I'm just looking out for you, Trunks. Why do you always have to be so defensive?" Bra snapped.

"I'm not being defensive. I just don't know what you're talking about. Honestly, nothing like that happened. She must be making it up or something."

"Trunks…she wouldn't lie to me. She's been dead inside for the past six months. I haven't seen her like this in a long time…it's like…you reignited something inside of her. I'm not mad, I'm just warning you. It's not okay to mess with her. She's my best friend. If you're going to go for it, then really go for it."

"Nothing. Happened. Feel free to steer her away from me. I'm not looking for a relationship right now and you know it. I've got too much responsibility at the Corp since you won't take anything seriously." Trunks growled.

"You're such an ass!" Bra groaned dramatically.

Goten's interest was piqued. He tried to get up slowly and propped himself up by his elbow on the edge of the tub. The conversation continued.

"Drop it, Bra! I'm so done talking about this." Trunks practically yelled.

"I'm not going to drop the fact that you _kissed_ Marron last night without thinking about her feelings!" Bra screeched back.

Goten's heart stopped. He breathed in sharply and felt the pain from banging his head on the tub disappear. A different pain began to take over. A pain that was carving straight into his bones.

He took a calming breath.

He ended the relationship with her. Why did he even care? He closed his eyes and her face appeared in his mind. Her beautiful, innocent, smiling face was staring right at him. She was laughing and skipping along beside him with bouncing, low pig tails. He could see her engagement ring he'd worked so hard to afford glistening on her finger.

"I love you, Goten." She said in the happiest tone.

Goten's blood began to boil. His skin was crawling. The perfect image of her began to ripple away as though it was a puddle being stepped in. Trunks had crossed a line. He knew tht she was everything to Goten only a short six months ago. She was going to be his wife until it all ended. How could his best friend take advantage of her when she was so vulnerable? How could a man do that to any woman? He thought Trunks was better than that

The trigger had been activated. Goten flung the bathroom door open and launched forward. He landed a hard punch right to Trunks' left cheek and sent him flying backwards.

"What the fuck!" Bra screeched.

Goten turned, still in both physical and mental agony, to face Bra with vomit on his shirt and intensity in his face. He scoffed and turned his face away from her.

"Just leave." He whispered sternly, staring at Trunks.

Trunks got up from the floor, rubbing the back of his head.

"Goten, hold on just one minute. We can talk about this. We can talk man to man." Trunks pleaded, trying to mask his fear with a weak laugh.

Goten took a step forward with fire in his soul. Bra jumped in front of him with both arms stretched out.

"No way, guys! If you break this penthouse, I will personally kill the both of you! I'm calling dad if you don't stop! This is insane!" Bra yelled frantically.

"Don't!" Trunks yelled, "Just get out of here, sis!"

Bra clutched her phone tightly and looked up at Goten. She frowned. He was smirking, but he looked pale and wasn't standing up straight. She watched closely and then squinted back at Trunks.

"Um…why are you smiling?" Bra asked, clearly confused.

Trunks seemed to know and began inching forward nervously.

"Goten. Stop. The carpet you're standing on is expensive. You're gonna throw up again, I know it." Trunks warned.

Goten looked down at the carpet and scoffed. He slowly brought his head back up to meet Trunks' glare, but alas, Trunks was right. He doubled over and ran back for the bathroom.

Trunks laughed, "Told ya. Idiot."

Bra dropped her phone in sheer shock and turned around to face her brother. Trunks shrugged.

"What just…" Bra began.

"Just go. I've got this." Trunks answered.

After a few moments of horrid upheaval, Goten sat up and leaned against the tub again. He could tell that Trunks was standing just outside of the doorway and groaned.

"Go the hell away, Trunks." Goten grumbled.

"Nah. I'm good." He answered.

"You're gonna be late for your stupid job."

"I've got it covered."

"Just go!" Goten shouted.

"I'm not leaving you alone like this, man. Give it up."

Goten sighed. Trunks was so stubborn. He never knew when to leave something alone, but maybe that's what made him such a good friend. Be that as it may, Goten was still furious. He decided to try and get up, but it was definitely difficult. Why did he think he could still drink so much?

"I'm never drinking again." Goten groaned.

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

In the Brief household kitchen, Chichi and Videl stood happily cooking up bacon, pancakes and other breakfast goodies with Cabba at their side chopping some fresh vegetables. A very grumpy Pan was setting the table with her eyes half shut and baggy pajama pants dragging at her feet. Bulma was pouring drinks into exquisite glasses and laughing with Marron about something.

"Everything is normal. They know nothing. Act natural." Bra whispered to herself while she stood outside of Capsule Corp in the cold.

She'd already been home, but she was sure no one heard her come in the night before. She left early to go to Trunks' penthouse, so it might look like she never came home at all.

She opened the front door quietly and tried to close it as slowly as possible. Once she believed that she was in the clear, she kicked her heels off and hung her jacket on the coat rack beside the door. She sighed and leaned against the wall for a brief moment to collect herself.

"And just where the hell have you been?"

"Holy!" Bra jumped.

A terrifying chill raced down Bra's back. She couldn't think of an excuse. She couldn't lie. He'd know. He always saw right through her.

"I was um…" She mumbled, staring up at the ceiling.

"Look at me, dammit."

Her timid eyes slowly lowered onto her father's gaze. His burning black eyes were slanted with anger. His huge, muscular arms were crossed at his chest. She cowered against the door.

"Daddy…I was at Trunks' place! I promise!" She said, suddenly getting an idea to throw him off, "Did you really miss me that much yesterday?"

Bra batted her eyes at her burly father. Vegeta frowned deeper.

"Tch. Get in there and eat breakfast with your mother. She's been worried sick about you."

Bra smiled, successfully hiding her obvious lie from him. If he ever found out that she'd been with Goten, he would probably kill him very slowly and very painfully. She scurried by Vegeta, stopping only to kiss him on the cheek, and joined everyone at the table.

She stood next to the large table and began combing through her long, wet hair with her fingers.

"Man, I wish it would stop raining! I'm so cold now…mom, why is this house so cold?" Bra complained as she twisted her hair and made a small puddle on the tiles below.

"Bra! If you need to ring out your hair, then do it in the bathroom! Someone could fall!" Bulma snapped, looking up from a plate containing a heaping pile of toast.

Seconds later, Goku wandered into the kitchen half asleep and slipped on the puddle. His fall looked like a cartoon character slipping on a banana peel. He fell backwards towards the ground, but caught himself just in time with one finger and flipped up to his feet again.

"Woah!" Bra's face filled with horror as she looked at her mom and then back to Goku. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Son!"

Goku laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"You can just call me Goku…Mr. Son sounds weird!"

Goku smiled down at Bra from his towering height with zero anger to be found in him. She didn't really know him that well, but his smile shocked her. Goten had the exact same one. As a matter of fact, the longer she looked at him the more she realized that they were basically identical, minus the skinny jeans and frumpy, red beanie Goten always had with him.

"S-sure. Sorry, Goku." Bra sputtered.

Bra blushed and looked away from him. She spotted Marron and smiled excitedly. Marron waved her over and pulled out the empty chair next to her. She quietly laid her head on Marron's shoulder and held on to her arm.

"How're you holding up?" Bra asked sweetly.

"I'm okay. I got your text this morning…thanks for uh…understanding." Marron whispered.

"What he does is his own business, but he better not hurt my best friend. That's all I care about." Bra whispered back with a wink.

Marron tilted her head sideways and onto Bra's head happily. Pan noticed the girl-hug and ran over to squeeze herself in between them.

"I'm here, too!"

Bra and Marron laughed and accepted her into their hug.

"Laaaaame." Caulifla groaned from her seat across the table.

As everyone began to take their seats and dig in to the great breakfast feast, Bra heard the front door open and close quietly. She felt a sudden rush of excitement and looked up.

Everyone sitting around the table suddenly vanished. Her breathing quickened and her chest tightened. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of air. A strange red glow appeared in the blackness, getting bigger and bigger as it drew closer to her. She could feel a penetrating warmth in her bones and shivered delightfully.

"Hey, guys…"

Bra's eyes flew open.

"Goten!" Chichi squealed.

There he stood, leaning against the doorframe in his distressed skinny jeans. His beanie was pulled over his hair, leaving only spikey wisps escaping from the front. He was wearing a blue hoodie that was soaked through from the rain. It clung to his tall, lean form and exposed his perfectly sculpted abs in the process. His arms were crossed against his chest and flexed slightly. Bra felt her heart flutter.

"Go wash your hands and then come eat! Who knows where you've been." Chichi continued.

"Yeah, whatever." He answered in a deflated tone, dropping his arms to his sides and turning away.

"What's wrong with him?" Bulma asked Chichi.

"I don't know. He's just so _disrespectful_ these days." She answered, shaking her head.

" _These days?_ He's always been an ass." Caulifla added quietly, making Pan laugh.

"Caulifla, just because you aren't my biological child doesn't mean that I won't come over there!" Chichi shouted.

As the table began to chatter, Bra longed to run to him. She knew exactly what he was so upset about. It definitely wasn't that his mother asked him to wash his hands nor about his adoptive sister's comment. She wondered how everything ended with Trunks earlier. Had they made up? Were they still fighting? She just _had_ to know for herself.

"I'll be right back." Bra announced casually, patting her mouth with a fancy, fabric napkin.

She walked quickly out into the hallway and saw the bathroom light on at the end of the long hallway. She rushed towards it and found Goten standing there, staring in the mirror with the door wide open.

"Goten! Are you…did you…well, what happened?" Bra whispered anxiously.

Goten seemed unaffected by her frantic behavior and kept staring into the mirror, checking his hair.

Bra crossed her arms and cleared her throat. She wasn't used to being ignored. 

"Can we talk?" She asked aggressively.

Goten sighed.

"Aren't we talking right now?" He answered, turning on the water and squirting soap onto his hands.

"Um…okay. I just wanted to ask you if you were like…regretting last night because I mean…I get it. Like…if you wanna pretend it didn't happen because of things with Trunks…"

Goten frowned.

"Why the hell would I care about that?"

Bra was taken aback by his blatant attitude.

"I don't know…because you attacked my brother this morning over Marron!" She growled, stomping her foot.

Goten chuckled and turned off the water. He reached for a towel to dry his hands with and didn't find one. Instinctively, Bra sighed and headed for the small towel closet behind him.

"I'm just saying…I've known you for a long time and I've never seen you get like that."

Goten turned around and held his head up with a cocky grin.

"You barely know me." He said slyly.

"Yeah right. I know your type." She said, handing him a small towel, "You have all this emotional baggage and you think no one will ever understand you. I get it. But like…I thought maybe last night when we were sitting on that car outside…I thought you wanted me to know you."

Goten stopped drying off his hands and set the towel down behind him on the sink. He leaned against it and crossed his arms, still smirking down at her. Bra felt a little shock of electricity shoot up and down her body. He was so hot when he smirked like that.

"You think I want you to know me because I'm emotionally damaged? Damn. Well, you just have me all figured out, don't you?" Goten said sarcastically.

"I saw how you acted today! You probably still have feelings for Mare, which I totally get. You were gonna marry her, after all. I just thought that like…since we did what we did and we had a lot of fun…I thought maybe…" Bra trailed off, feeling stupid and embarrassed all of a sudden.

Goten shook his head and leaned towards her. She felt her heart skip a few beats when his eyes stared directly into hers.

"I definitely enjoyed last night. That has nothing to do with Marron."

Bra swallowed nervously.

"So are you saying you wanna hang out again?" Bra asked, trying to muster her usual snarky attitude, "Because if you don't, then that's fine, too. I just wanna know."

Goten smirked and stood up straight from the sink. He took a few slow steps towards her until he was right against her chest. She felt her back press against the wall behind her and stared forward at his still-soaked hoodie.

"Hang out?" He asked quietly.

She peered up at him slowly. His eyes were burning into hers like fire. She couldn't look away. The same electric feeling she felt when he first entered the house was shocking her stomach again and compelling her to reach up and touch his waist lightly on either side.

"Y-yeah…hang out…" She breathed, grasping his hips a little tighter.

Goten leaned one elbow against the wall above her head and placed his other hand on her back, pulling her even closer against him.

"I'd like that." He said, caressing her back slightly.

Bra felt the air leaving her lungs and her heart pounding ferociously against her chest. She heard him take a deep breath and touch his chin to the top of her head. 

"You smell so good." He whispered.

"T-thank you?" She giggled.

"You're also fucking gorgeous. I can't believe I never noticed how damn hot you are…" He continued, lifting her chin up with two fingers.

Bra couldn't breathe. She slipped her hands under his hoodie and ran her fingertips over his cold skin.

"I…" She began.

Unable to find the right words, Bra closed her eyes and kissed him. The slight tickle of electricity she'd felt earlier turned into a full on storm when he pushed her lips apart with his tongue and let out a low moan. She felt one of his hands entangle itself in her hair and gently hold the back of her head while the other wrapped around her waist aggressively.

His hand began wandering down her back and found her backside. He growled slightly and squeezed hard, pulling her around so that she was against the sink on the other side of the bathroom. He confidently grabbed her thigh and pulled her left leg up, firmly sitting her on top of the counter. He began kissing her neck and chest with added ferocity.

With his entire body pressed against hers and practically on top of her, she could feel the excitement in his jeans begging to be set free.

"Close the door." She whispered with seductive eyes.

Goten smirked and reached his long arm for the door. He let her down off of the counter and closed the door quietly, but she was already leaning forward and waiting. He undid his pants and let them drop to his ankles.

"Remember…gotta be quiet." Goten said.

He grabbed her thong and pulled it to the side, pushing her skirt up with the other hand. He bent down slightly to reach her and slide inside of her. He began to move, slowly at first. Bra felt her entire body pulsating.

"Quiet." He whispered, stifling her tiny moans.

"Sorry…" She answered, mouth open and eyes closed.

She held on to the edges of the sink and felt his entire length inside of her. He was moving faster, making it harder for her to keep quiet. Her stomach was tightening into knots.

"Holy shit…" She moaned.

"Damn…" He growled back, slapping her backside before returning both hands to her waist.

He was holding back. She wanted him to go faster, but she knew he didn't want anyone to hear them. Instead, he was pacing himself and slamming into her one delicious thrust at a time. She worried she might rip the counter away from the wall if they kept going. Just as she began to think of ways to make it easier, Goten stopped abruptly.

"Fuck this…"

He turned her around and began kissing her again, giving her a moment of rest before resuming. She realized quickly what he wanted her to do. She reached back and held on to the edge of the sink for support and placed on leg on top of the counter. Goten excitedly entered her again while holding her leg for support. He was able to move faster now without making much noise, but Bra turned on the faucet for some cover.

"Holy shit…" He groaned, kissing her neck and letting her fingers dig in to the back of his hoodie.

She let out stifled squeals of joy directly into his ear with each thrust and wrapped her now dangling left leg around his waist.

When he began to get close to the end, she felt his speed increase to an inhuman aggression. He gritted his teeth together and slammed into her, holding himself there as he reached his breaking point. Bra felt herself skyrocket into the abyss and covered her mouth, biting her finger to stay quiet.

"Excuse me, sir…" She giggled after a few quiet moments.

"Damn." He huffed, pulling up his jeans from the floor.

She hopped off of the sink and straightened out her skirt. Goten looked her up and down with a sultry smirk on his face. She slapped him lightly on the shoulder and stood on her tippy-toes to kiss him one last time. She hadn't realized how ungodly tall he was before. Big heels were definitely in order for future encounters.

"So…I'll see you out there…" She smirked, winking at him.

Goten nodded with a giant smile on his face. Quietly, she slipped out into the hallway. The thought of sneaking around with him made Bra feel dangerous and rebellious. She loved it and the mere thought of continuing their 'affair' gave her goose bumps.

 **CHAPTER EIGHT**

Goten sat on Bulma's expensive leather couch in her main living room watching out the windows as Vegeta and Goku readied themselves for an intense training session in the back yard. He couldn't quite put into words what he was feeling at the moment about seeing his father again, but he also couldn't bring himself to look Bra in the eyes. Something about her was making him absolutely crazy inside.

Why hadn't he felt this way for Marron? He thought he was in love with her six months ago. When he proposed to her, he thought that he would never know a love like hers. He thought that she was perfect and stable. What did he know about Bra? What did he _want_ to know about her?

 _Was this all just lust?_

Bra was still the same girl he'd always known growing up. She was his best friend's little sister that pretended the boys didn't exist for most of her life. She was still the popular girl from school that guys only dreamed of getting with. She was still the heiress to the largest corporation on the globe. Yet, she easily allowed Goten to sleep with her twice in less than twenty four hours.

 _Why?_

He wasn't the popular, jock type. He wasn't any type, actually. He looked down at his dirty, black converse shoes and hid his hands inside of his hoodie pocket anxiously. He peered around the room at the fancy lamps and exquisite paintings. The white walls met the dark, hardwood floors with stark contrast. The rug his shoes were sitting on probably cost more than his motorcycle. He sighed loudly and rested his head against the back of the couch.

A few feet away, Marron was pacing around the kitchen waiting for some kind of news from her mother about Krillin. He peered over at her, still leaning his head against the couch, and felt a little guilty. She looked so lonely.

"Hey, you."

Caulifla entered the living room and plopped down on the couch beside Goten. He groaned loudly.

"Who invited you?" He grumbled.

"Your mom." She answered quickly, "Ass."

He rolled his eyes. She thought she was so hilarious. He didn't miss her sense of humor, that was for sure. Soon enough he felt her prying eyes on him, ready to ask a million questions.

"So you and Marron, huh? I always thought you had a thing but you actually proposed to that girl? Please. She's not your type at all."

"My type? How the hell would you know that?" Goten snapped, "Like you have any experience to base your opinion on."

Caulifla got quiet all of a sudden. He noticed her cheeks flush red. He looked around the room and smirked. He knew exactly what she was thinking about.

"So…where's Cabba?"

Caulifla turned beet red. She looked out the window and nodded. Goten sat up and found a small, thin super saiyan fending off Goku and Vegeta.

"Why in the hell did he agree to that?" Goten asked.

Caulifla sighed and shrugged, "You know Cabba…He's always out to prove himself."

"Or to impress someone." Goten suggested slyly.

Caulifla looked away. He wasn't sure if she knew that Goten knew their secret. It didn't seem like it. She had no idea how close Cabba, Trunks and Goten had become in her absence. He'd told them everything.

Through the silence between them, Goten realized he might be able to ask Caulifla about what happened between him and Bra. She never particularly liked Bra when they were in school anyhow, considering her hate-hate relationship with Vegeta. He felt pretty confident that she wouldn't go blabbing to anyone, namely Trunks.

"Hey, um…can I ask you a weird question?" Goten asked awkwardly, staring up at the ceiling.

"I guess." She answered, cocking her head to the side, "What's up? Is this about Marron again?"

Goten shook his head and looked over his shoulder to make sure Marron wasn't listening.

"Nah. I told you, I'm done with her."

Goten sat up a little and leaned towards her.

"Listen. Is there some kind of…weird saiyan thing that happens when you…you know…sleep with another saiyan?"

Caulifla's mouth fell wide open. Her eyes grew huge. The corners of her mouth twisted into a huge grin.

"I'm serious! Dammit, why'd I ask…" Goten groaned.

"Okay, okay. I'll tell you…but you definitely have some explaining to do." Caulifla said quickly, looking around for the others as well, "Who'd you see doing it?" She asked.

"See? What? No, I meant me!" Goten hissed.

"You?...but…who…" Caulifla began, utterly perplexed as to who he could have been with.

He'd never been one to keep secrets, but he was hesitant. He felt a ridiculous need to tell her all the details overwhelming him. It's not like he could tell Trunks about it. He hadn't told anyone at all yet. Finally he decided to come clean to the least likely person to have a meltdown about it.

"Okay. I slept with Bra. Twice."

Caulifla's giggling completely stopped. She nearly fell off the couch. After some initial shock, she bounced up and down on the cushion and held her mouth tightly with both hands. Goten grumbled and crossed his arms, blushing bright scarlet.

"You guys? I mean…it's hot, I dig it, but damn! I never imagined she'd go for _you_!" Caulifla squealed quietly.

"Yeah, yeah, just help me out." Goten urged her.

Caulifla took a deep breath and tried to relax. Once she'd calmed down, her face grew serious.

"Did you bite her first?"

Goten gasped, "So it _is_ a saiyan thing?"

Caulifla nodded and smirked.

"Of course it is. We're a freaky species if you get what I'm saying."

Goten rubbed his head and flopped back against the couch. At least it wasn't some kind of weird fetish.

"You don't know what it means, do you?" Caulifla asked seriously.

Goten felt a little frustrated.

"Of course I don't! You think my mom ever told me that shit? My dad wasn't even around, so how could he tell me? And furthermore, why in the hell didn't this ever happen with Mare?"

Caulifla shrugged, "She wasn't the one."

" _The one?_ You mean like…true love and shit?" Goten grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean." Caulifla nodded seriously.

He blinked a few times. Suddenly he didn't feel so good.

"Explain." He demanded.

Caulifla stood up and wandered over to a portrait on the wall. It was Trunks' family when Bra was first born. She took her finger and pointed to Vegeta. A sly smirk spread across her face as she drew a line between Vegeta and Bulma.

"True love with humans…saiyans usually just mate. We don't have normal dating on my home planet like you do here. On Sadala, you mate once or maybe twice and that's it. If you're a royal, you might do it more just because you _can_ …I know my parents were considered crazy for having me after my brother was already such a powerful and skilled young saiyan warrior. Why would you want another mouth to feed, you know? I guess there's a lot to be said about that way of thinking…"

She paused. Clearly, picturing her parents and brother was a bit difficult. Goten felt a little guilty for making her reminisce, but she kept talking.

"Vegeta was like that when he first came to Earth from what I gather. It's why he had no interest in Bulma at first after they had Trunks. He was only thinking like a normal saiyan. Mate once, and then you're done. You've passed on your genes. He was also probably ashamed he'd mated with a human in the first place actually. A royal mixing with another species? I know I can't name a single Sadala saiyan that cross-bred with another species."

Caulifla crossed her arms and thought quietly to herself with a stern look of disapproval. Goten leaned onto the edge of the sofa, desperate for more saiyan history lessons.

"I guess…saiyans are just different from humans, you know? But what I've learned from spending time with Broly and Cheelai on Vampa is that it doesn't mean saiyans can't fall in love…"

Caulifla trailed off. She was hopelessly staring out the window behind Goten. He turned around to look and Cabba was standing nearby, panting and trying to hold off a barrage of kicks from Goku. Goten shook his head.

"What the hell does all this have to do with the biting thing?" He asked curiously.

"I'm getting there! Damn!" Caulifla scoffed, "There are always signs…signs you can't ignore. You feel it in your bones when you meet. I've heard other saiyans talk about it before in passing, but it rarely happens anymore. The bonding ritual...It happens when two saiyans are meant to stay together forever. I guess the science behind it is that your DNA is perfectly matched with the other saiyan, making your offspring extremely powerful. The folklore behind it says it can happen whenever a saiyan finds their true love. On Sadala it was said to only occur if you had royal blood."

Goten turned white as a ghost. He shivered and shook his head violently. Caulifla watched him, confused by his reaction.

"But…I barely know her…"

Caulifla laughed and trotted back over to him. Her high heeled boots clacked along the wooden floor as she walked and stopped right in front of him. She crossed her arms and leaned forward. Goten had to look away slig'htly given her shirt was just a little too low cut for comfort.

"Bottom line is…you found your mate, Goten. Celebrate your culture. Something in your DNA is telling you that she's the perfect match for you. If she bit you back, it's the same for her. Your human side is telling you to date and get to know her first, but your saiyan side is telling you everything that you need to know. You're lucky…"

Goten felt completely bewildered. How could his body know that he loved Bra before his heart did? It seemed impossible. He wasn't even looking for a new relationship after everything failed with Marron. Was he ready to commit to someone again so soon? Was he ready to lose his freedom? He did love playing the field, after all.

Just then, Chichi ran into the living room. Caulifla and Goten turned to look at her and quickly realized something bad had happened. Goten got to his feet before she could speak.

"Mom…" Goten began nervously.

"We…we have to go to the hospital. Now." Chichi said shakily.

"What happened?" Goten asked.

"Go and get your father. Vegeta and Cabba, too. We're leaving. They need to meet us there." Chichi said softly, unable to fully grasp whatever it was she knew.

Goten's skin turned pale white and his face fell into a deep frown. Something was very wrong. He could sense it.

"I'll get them, Chichi." Caulifla said quickly.

She rushed over to the large, white doors to the porch and opened them quickly. She called out to Cabba, who looked at her and took a direct hit from Vegeta.

"Dammit, woman!" Vegeta growled.

"It's Krillin! We gotta go!" Caulifla shouted back.

Goku touched his forehead with two fingers and disappeared before anyone could explain anything. Cabba rubbed his face and followed Vegeta inside. He seemed embarrassed that he sustained a hit in front of Caulifla and refused to look her in the eye as they passed each other. Goten watched them and felt the tension radiating off of the both of them. They still weren't talking? It was strange. He assumed Cabba would be happy to have her back.

"We're taking the van plane since it's raining so hard." Videl said, "You comin?"

Goten shook his head, "Nah. I'm gonna take my own car."

He looked over at Marron, who was visibly shaken. She rolled her eyes at Goten and stomped towards the front door with everyone else. He felt a little bad, but he had to stay level in such confusing moments. Besides, with all of the information Caulifla just shared, he was not in the mood to think about Marron.

"I'll come with you."

Goten turned to find Bra standing awkwardly in the corner. She smiled weakly, "I definitely don't wanna fly in the rain…and I hate that van plane. So lame, right?"

Goten smiled. He felt a little jolt of excitement when he looked at her, but his happiness was overshadowed by whatever news they were about to absorb at the hospital.

The drive in Goten's little, cheap car was a quick one but completely silent. He pulled up to the curb outside of the hospital lobby and parked. The rain pounded down onto the roof of his cheap little car, creating the perfect white noise to hide the lack of conversation. He peered over at Bra, but she didn't look up at him. She was staring at the floor. Her hands were balled into tight fists on her jeans and her expression was pained. She got out without a word and rushed inside, leaving Goten to return his car to its capsule alone. He hurried inside after her and one look at everyone's face was all Goten needed to see. He knew right away that the news was devastating.

When he approached the group slowly, he saw Marron and Eighteen sitting in the center of the circle, hunched up together on the floor and sobbing. Eighteen looked like she herself could go into cardiac arrest at any point as she gasped for air and squeezed Marron. Above them stood Yamcha, who crouched over and pulled them both into his arms. It appeared he would be the one taking care of them at Kame house now. Goten was glad. Even though he and Yamcha always hated each other, he was the only other person he could ever see making sure that Eighteen and Marron were safe on Roshi's little island.

Standing near them was a completely hysterical Bulma. She was crying into her husband's shirt, but Vegeta was showing no remorse at all. He simply allowed her the curtesy to cry on him. Bra stood silently off to the side and was trying desperately to keep herself together. Goten approached her with his hands in his pockets and stopped just a few feet away.

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

"Another heart attack…He didn't have a chance. He's gone. He's really gone…" Bra answered, playing with her necklace and biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

Goten felt a horrible stabbing sensation in his heart. He'd tried his best to tell Marron that it would be okay, yet they still ended up arguing and fighting over nothing. He'd hurt her again when she was hurting more than he'd ever know. The father who'd been there her whole life and kept her safe was gone. The man who'd accepted Goten like his own son would never be able to say another word or give another hug again.

Cabba was standing beside Bulma with a look of complete despair. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes looked like they'd been glued open. He wasn't on duty, but of course he was probably feeling partially responsible. Maybe if he'd been there, Goten wondered, would things have gone differently?

He saw Goku lean down and join Yamcha in hugging the grieving widow and her daughter. He wasn't crying, but his face was more sullen than Goten could ever imagine Goku expressing. Chichi was clinging to Gohan and crying just as hard as Bulma, while Videl and Pan looked on helplessly.

"Where is Trunks? I texted him…he should…be here for this, you know?" Bra whispered, wiping away a tear quickly.

"I don't know…" Goten answered, feeling numb.

A doctor in all blue scrubs with a pink cap came out from behind two large doors and approached the scene cautiously. She waited for an opening and spoke softly, placing a hand on Eighteen's back. She helped the sobbing woman up and hugged her. Cabba ran over and began demanding specific answers, to which the doctor seemed to respond nervously. At least he knew what he was talking about. Goten couldn't remember a thing from medical school.

Yamcha helped Marron stand up from the ground. Her knees shook violently and her face was red from crying. Goten felt a horrible tug in his chest to run to her. He hated seeing her cry. He watched Yamcha lead her through the double doors towards Krillin's room to say good-bye and had to look away. The sadness inside him mixed with the guilt of not being there for her was too much.

Eighteen broke away from her hug with Krillin's doctor and blinked her swollen eyes towards Goku and Bulma.

"I…I need for them to come, too." Eighteen said, pointing at them and then waving them towards her.

Vegeta backed away from Bulma and gave her a little nudge towards them. Still in shock, she took a few steps and then stopped to compose herself. She covered her eyes and began to sob again, but Goku arrived at her side and placed his hand on her shoulder. He shook her lightly at first, but then pulled her into his side and wrapped his arm around her. His strong face held a silent frown firmly. He wouldn't dare let tears fall. He began to march forward and joined Eighteen, taking her under his other arm. Though Cabba appeared to follow at first, he stopped short of the double doors and watched on sadly.

Goten watched his father showing such a strong bond with his friends. He breathed in a little too quickly, giving in the emotion of the moment. Bra instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm, burying her face into his jacket sleeve and clinging tightly to him.

He couldn't push her away. He felt so unbearably cold all of a sudden. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms and just hold on until the end of time. Something about her was keeping him together. In that moment, he didn't care if his family saw them and interlaced his fingers in hers. She gasped, but responded happily, snuggling up to his arm. He felt a small sliver of peace for a split second, until Bra jumped and gasped.

"Oh, shit…" Bra whispered.

She quickly let go of Goten's hand and took a few steps to the side. Goten felt confused. Had she not felt the same connection just now? Sure enough, it didn't take him too long to realize what she was talking about.

His eyes traveled towards the entrance and froze in place. He felt a white hot sensation of fear travel from his head to his toes. His mouth fell open. He couldn't look away and he couldn't hide. He'd been caught red handed.

Trunks stood still looking like he might burst into super saiyan form right there in the lobby. He stared at his best friend with fire in his heart. His eyes traveled to his little sister slowly, then jolted back to Goten. His mouth was quivering with anger. He frowned and looked disgusted. His lips began to form words. Goten felt dread filling up to the brim. Just as it seemed like Trunks was about to pour over and explode, he spun around and stormed out of the very doors he'd only just entered.

"Trunks, wait!" Bra said quietly, to avoid catching the attention of her father.

"Bra, just let him go…" Goten urged her.

He reached out and grabbed her hand, but she yanked away from him.

"He's my brother, Goten…I have to talk to him!"

She chased after him, leaving Goten standing amidst a group of devastated, crying people.

After the initial shock of Krillin's death wore off, the extended family decided to stay at Bulma's for the next few days and help with funeral arrangements among other things. Of course, Krillin would have the most beautiful celebration of life that money could buy. The hard part was planning it without feeling like they were dying inside.

Strangely, Trunks had every excuse in the book to avoid his mother's home. Every time she called him, he was in a meeting or working on something. She was growing angry with him, but couldn't figure out what was going on. Goten offered the suggestion that he was processing his grief in his own way, but that didn't explain Bra's absence as well.

Bra wasn't answering her phone at all. She'd texted her mother a few times, simply checking in with her. She said she was staying with friends and needed time away from the house to grieve. Everyone was preoccupied that they didn't even ask questions about it. Goten was starting to get worried.

Five days after Krillin's death, the Earth itself seemed truly sad to have lost one of its greatest protectors. The worst thunderstorm in ages was raging on with no sign of slowing down. It was making the mood around the Brief home even more morose than it already was.

That night, Goten stepped out onto the back deck of the Capsule Corp mansion and watched the rain pour down onto the dark city streets. The screened-in windows vibrated with each crack of thunder, shaking the Earth in fury.

"What a storm..." Goten whispered under his breath to himself.

He leaned onto the windowsill and sighed. The house was silent in the night, almost like no one was even there.

Goten took a sip of his fifth beer of the night and sat down in one of the chairs on the porch. He stared out at the sky and wondered if Krillin was watching Eighteen and Marron from somewhere. He wondered if he could feel their pain. The thought transformed after a while into his own pain towards Bra abandoning him in such an emotional state. Were they over for good? It was so shortly lived. What about everything Caulifla said? Was it all just in his head?

He sat his beer bottle down beside him and closed his eyes. The pounding rain let up for a brief moment and he heard a tiny sniffle to his left. He stood up, startled, and looked around. He couldn't see anyone in the darkness, but he could hear them stirring about as if they realized they'd been discovered.

He moved away from the noisy windows and felt the energy of the room. Whoever was there didn't want their ki to be read. He stealthily walked towards the back of the room and quickly peeked behind a stack of boxes, revealing the source of the noise.

"Mare? W-What are you doing out here? You should be in bed…" Goten rushed to her side, "Mare…talk to me."

A devastated Marron cried into her knees, surrounded by little bottles of her favorite liquor, Lemoncello. He knelt down beside her and touched her shoulder, but she buried her face into her knees and sobbed harder. He put his arms around her and held her tightly. He realized in that moment that in the past five days, he'd been completely avoiding her again.

Everything felt wrong. Bra was gone, Marron was hurting and Goten was totally alone. He'd turned into a shell of the man he planned to become when he first fell in love with the blonde angel in front of him.

Her body quaked with sadness as she reeled in sorrow, waking him from his thoughts. She slowly pulled away from her knees and let her head fall backwards against the wall. She was clearly drunk, but Goten couldn't blame her. Besides, he'd been drinking all night, too.

"Goten…I can't sleep anymore. My mom doesn't stop crying. Even when she does sleep it's just constant tossing and turning and talking to my dad. Like…she literally whispers to him while she's sleeping. How are we ever going to make it through this? She's dead inside without him…"

Goten felt horrible. Her words were so terribly sad that he didn't have any words to comfort her. He let go of her shoulders and plopped onto the floor next to her. He scooted against the wall and let out a long sigh.

"That sounds rough."

He felt a little careless with his words, but she didn't seem to mind. He wasn't sure if she even heard him. He got the feeling that just having someone next to her helped her to feel better.

"My dad is dead, Goten. He…he died."

She looked up at him with watery-blue eyes that were just barely visible in the dark. His heart tore for her as he looked at her sad face. He put his arms around her and held her tightly again.

After several minutes, Goten began to drift off to sleep. The room was filled with only sounds of the rain and soft thunder. Her crying had finally stopped and he was feeling just a little bit better knowing he helped her feel more secure.

"Goten?"

He jumped at the sudden burst of sound.

"Y-yeah…what's up?"

He looked down and her eyes were wide open and staring up at him.

"Woah...you look…better?"

She smiled, "I was just thinking about some of my old memories of us. You haven't held me like this…in a long time."

He laughed awkwardly, but suddenly got very uncomfortable. Marron kept talking.

"I mean, think about all of the fun times we had as a family. Dad loved you so much."

He saw where she was heading and felt even worse. She still had feelings for him, but all he could picture was Bra's face if she saw him sitting on the floor with his arms around Marron. He quickly attempted to let go and scoot away from her.

"What's the matter, Goten?" She asked, holding her position steady and refusing to let him go.

He swallowed hard, "Uh…nothing. I just…I'm kinda uncomfortable."

She frowned at first, but a smile spread across her face slowly.

"I'm sorry."

She let go of his arm and stared at the floor.

"You know, Goten…I really feel lucky to have a guy like you in my life."

Goten shook his head, "You're just saying that. You're drunk…let's get you to bed."

He leaned forward to help her up, but Marron grabbed him by the shoulders and forced her lips against his.

It had been almost seven months since the last time he felt her kiss. He tried to back away, but like a cornered animal, he was trapped. His wide, open eyes looked on in shock while tears began to flow down her cheeks. He considered how he might be able get out of this, but a small piece of him, locked away tightly, was starting to melt under her intensity. Somewhere deep inside of him, old feelings began to surface and old memories began to play inside of his head like a movie.

This was _his_ Marron. She was the most amazing girl that Goten ever knew. She had great, supportive parents that never abandoned her like Goten's dad did. She had a passion for education and always wanted to teach little kids about the world they lived in. She helped others. She healed his heart of so much hate.

His mind began to twist and turn as he realized that all of things that made her so wonderful to him back then were gone now. She'd given up on teaching. Her father was dead. Her mother was broken. She'd probably never be the same after all of this.

His body went numb when Marron began to sit up and reach under his shirt. He felt warm inside. Her familiar touch was intoxicating. He pulled her close to him and began to kiss her like he used to. The feelings that he'd stuffed away were suddenly surfacing rapidly and overtaking him. She was like he used to be now, fatherless and alone in the world. Friends could never fill the void of having no father there to support and encourage you. He began to wonder why he left her in the first place as her soft lips moved down his neck and he began to kiss her shoulder.

A loud clap of thunder roared outside while they continued to kiss furiously. Before he knew it, he was laying on top of her and beginning to lose control. It seemed like they were drowning in forgotten passion.

Suddenly, they both heard a creek from the doorway and pulled apart. They both scrambled against the wall and held their breath. Had they been seen?

A brooding silhouette shadowed the doorway ominously. It lingered there for a moment, but then disappeared just as quickly as it came. Goten couldn't feel any ki energy, so he wasn't sure who it was.

Marron looked up at Goten again with wide, scared eyes.

"Do you think they saw us?" She asked, terrified.

Just as he began to answer, she plunged her forehead into her knees and began to cry again.

"Shit! What an idiot! I'm so stupid!" Marron cried.

Goten sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Well, this is just great."

He suddenly felt enraged that she kissed him.

"This is all your fault…What were you thinking? I'm…I'm not in love with you anymore! You can't just kiss me and expect that I'll go back to being your doormat!"

"Doormat?" Marron snapped, offended.

He got up and began to pace back and forth frantically. His overemotional responses never ceased to scare Marron just a little bit.

"How many times have I told you that we're over? Now this tragedy happens and you decide that it's okay to kiss me again? Did you think that me feeling sorry for you was just…just…an excuse to get with me again? Do you really think I'm that fucking stupid?"

Marron looked horrified. She tried to speak, but Goten cut her off.

"I can't believe this! I'm seeing someone, Marron! I'm not available to make you forget your problems anymore!"

Marron gasped. He felt like cramming his foot down his throat as soon as the words left his mouth. He'd gone a bit too far.

"You bastard." She said under her breath.

He dropped his flailing arms and paused, looking at her through squinted eyes.

"What did you just call me?"

Marron stood up clumsily, holding the wall for balance. She frowned and took a step towards him.

"You heard me. You have put me through hell! _You_ created this situation tonight, not me! You could have just left me the hell alone, but you chose to come over here and play savior! You always had to put your nose where it didn't belong! You always ruin everything for me!"

He frowned, "I…I was just trying to be nice! We are supposed to be friends! At least, that's what you want, isn't it? That's why you can't stop calling me? We're " _friends"_!" Goten said sarcastically, quoting her with his fingers.

Her eyes seemed to catch on fire.

"We can't just be friends! I still love you, Goten! I fucking _love_ you, you asshole!"

He crossed his arms. He knew about Trunks, but she had no idea that he knew. For all that he knew, she'd been seeing him regularly since that first night. She could've been cheating on him with Goten just then. But how could he know anything for certain when all she ever did was lie for attention?

"Well I _don't_ love you and I never will!" Goten exclaimed.

He felt a light tap on his cheek and realized she'd slapped him with all her might. She stomped past him and up the small set of stairs, back into the house. He didn't mean to come across so harshly, but he didn't know how else to make her understand his feelings. She just wasn't getting it.

Goten stood alone in the dark for several minutes. He wasn't sure if anyone heard them arguing, but he was sure that he was finished talking to her for good. He was done comforting her and he was done feeling like he owed her anything. He took out his phone and blocked her number in an angry fit of rage. When he was finished, he tossed the phone onto the ground and got even angrier when it shattered into a million pieces. He grabbed his head and sat down again, overcome with anger.

 **CHAPTER NINE**

The next morning, Goten awoke in one of Capsule Corp's humungous guest beds. He felt so small laying alone in the very center, which was a new feeling after returning to his childhood bed when he moved back in with his mother.

Still half asleep, he rubbed his head for a moment before throwing his long legs over the bed and struggling to stand. What a night, he thought to himself. He could still feel the effects of however many beers he ended up having.

He wandered over to the dresser and began digging through the suitcase that he'd placed less-than-gracefully on top of the dresser. He pulled out a blue t-shirt and black skinny jeans and tossed them on. He stared in the mirror and checked his hair over carefully. It stood up straight without much effort, but a little gel was always helpful.

When he opened his bedroom door, his mother was gathering towels from a hallway closet and frowned at him.

"Goten, you lazy bum…it's already ten in the morning! Go and eat your breakfast. It's in the refrigerator. Don't forget to heat it up."

Goten nodded in compliance but entered the bathroom to her right to brush his teeth first. She started to complain, but Goten shut the door and rolled his eyes. He was definitely not in the mood to be yelled at again, but standing there staring at himself in the mirror suddenly became impossible.

 _What had he done?_

He was no monster. Marron was a human being, capable of all the feelings and emotions that he was able to feel. He was the first to admit that he was more emotional than the average guy. It only added to his short temper and constant internal pain. He couldn't help but lash out when things didn't go as planned. It was inevitable.

He was _supposed_ to marry her. He was _supposed_ to be done with dating and definitely finished with sneaking around for quickies in a girl's mom's house.

 _Did Bra even remember that he existed?_

His heart ached while he reached for his tooth brush. He felt so utterly alone. Why did Marron have to remind him of everything he once thought he'd have for the rest of his life? And why the hell did someone have to go barging in and make the entire situation worse?

A small knock came to the door.

"Damn…" He grumbled, scrubbing away at his teeth.

He opened the door, expecting an angry Chichi standing with her finger pointed at him for slamming the door, but it wasn't Chichi at all.

"Hey, Goten."

Goten's mouth hung open. He felt his cheeks turning bright red, but he couldn't look away.

"W-What's up, bro?" He asked, foaming at the mouth with toothpaste.

Trunks stood in the hallway looking disgusted and scoffed. In typical Vegeta fashion, he crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling. Goten wondered what he would say next. They'd never gone so long without talking, even if it was only five days.

"Look, things have been weird with us lately. I'm over it. I just wanna move past it…yeah? It's fuckin stupid." Trunks said in a low voice, still staring at the ceiling.

Goten shrugged and smiled. Was Trunks really forgiving him? Maybe he didn't know everything about Bra and Goten's tryst. He expected that to be much more drawn out than a simple apology.

"Okay…well then I'm gonna go…" Trunks said awkwardly, beginning to turn away.

Without thinking, Goten lunged forward and grabbed him for a big hug.

Trunks flailed about and yelled, "Aw, you're gonna mess up my suit! This is worth more than you yourself! Ahh, get off!"

Goten laughed and gave him a pat on the back with his toothbrush hanging out of the side of his mouth, "All is well with us, bro."

Trunks rolled his eyes and smiled. He pushed Goten back into the bathroom and left. Goten felt a small weight lifted from his massive plate of stress. At least he still had his best friend.

After he finished brushing his teeth, he reached for the doorknob and turned without thinking. He opened the door and started to step into the hallway, but a heavy force shoved him back inside before he could even open his eyes after blinking.

"The hell!" Goten exclaimed, catching himself on the sink and nearly ripping it out of the wall.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know where else to talk…"

Bra stood in front of him peering upwards shyly and looking miserable. She leaned against the door as she closed it.

From the moment his eyes locked on to hers, he couldn't move. He hadn't seen her since she ran after Trunks at the hospital, but seeing her now felt like it'd been years. An overwhelming sensation of warmth spread from his head to his toes. Her perfection was undeniable. He couldn't help but bask in her beauty blindly. He couldn't speak. It was like she had an invisible hold over him. He could barely breathe.

"Hey…" He finally whispered.

"Hi…" She answered.

"There's so much…I've wanted to say…" Goten began.

"Please…this was all my fault. I shouldn't have avoided you. It was just so much pressure I guess…Trunks was so mad…"

Bra hung her head to the floor and looked ashamed. Goten wasn't sure what to say or do in this particular situation, but he tried to remember what Caulifla told him earlier. If Bra and Goten were made for each other, maybe he could figure it out without thinking too much. He decided to just say the first thing that came to his mind.

"It's okay. I'm not mad." He said softly, slightly shocked at his own words.

"You _should_ be. I'm so bad at this." She answered, laughing sarcastically.

"Bad at what?" Goten asked curiously.

He stepped closer to her, not taking his eyes off of her.

"I'm just bad at relationships. Sure, I'm good at hook ups. I'm good at pretending I don't even know someone…but we're like… _family_. I can't pretend that you don't exist. I can't pretend…"

Goten smiled, "The only reason you can't ignore me…is because we're family?"

Bra blushed and looked away.

"Okay, it's not just that…"

Goten reached forward and gently brushed her cheek with his hand. He traced his thumb in a small circle and entwined his fingers in her long, shiny hair.

"Then what else is it?" He asked.

Bra's eyes glazed over. She looked up at him with her lips slightly parted and breathed slowly. She started to talk, but instead she placed her hands at his waist and leaned her head onto his stomach.

"I honestly can't stop thinking about you, Goten." She said.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you, either." He confirmed.

The pair stood in silence. Goten simply held her in a loose hug with his head in the clouds. He felt warmth radiating outwards. The tips of his fingers were tingling. He could stay pressed up against her all day. It was completely intoxicating.

"Can we start over with this then?" She asked, breaking the long silence.

"Yeah. I'd like that." Goten said, squeezing her slightly.

He pulled her away from him and met her gaze yet again. He leaned down. She closed her eyes, acting like she expected him to kiss her like he had in the past, but instead his lips met her forehead gently.

Bra shivered in his hands and smiled. She pressed her cheek into his shirt and squeezed him gently before letting him go and reaching for the doorknob.

"Hungry?" She asked, smirking.

"Are you kidding? Hell yeah!" He answered.

Goten playfully chased Bra out of the bathroom and down the hallway. They entered the kitchen laughing and Goten opened the fridge to get his breakfast.

Bra sat down on one of the barstools at the counter and began playing with her phone while Goten heated his meal. He leaned against the wall and watched her. She was occasionally peeking over the phone and smiling. Her smile was more magical each time he saw it. He couldn't help but smile back at her. What was this feeling?

Once his food was heated and he took a seat beside her, they could hear Bulma frantically clicking along in her heels while jabbering on the phone. She approached the kitchen and her conversation became clear.

"Yes, I'll be there. Yes. Yes, I can let him know. Thanks!"

She hung up the phone angrily and sighed.

"Where's Trunks? He needs to come to this meeting! He's been skipping and the investors are getting curious!"

She stared at Bra and Goten, expecting an immediate answer. The two looked at each other and shrugged.

"He was here…I saw him like ten minutes ago." Goten offered.

She grumbled a few profanities and rushed away. When he returned to eating, Bra leaned her head against his arm and closed her eyes. Goten felt the familiar glow growing inside of him again. He never wanted to move from his spot beside her.

"Wanna go for an errand with me when I'm done?" Goten asked quietly.

"Sure. Would be nice to get away from here. Mom's gonna lose her shit if Trunks doesn't make an appearance soon…" Bra sighed.

"Vegeta!" Bulma shouted from down the hall.

"What, woman?" Vegeta answered angrily from the living room.

"Where the hell is our son?" She growled back.

"I'm not the boy's damn keeper!" Vegeta scoffed.

Goten and Bra laughed, but Goten couldn't help wondering where he'd gone off to. He was literally just there.

After Goten finished his food, the pair headed outside where the rain had just stopped pouring down. He started digging in his capsule wallet, but Bra got hers out from her purse faster.

"I have a surprise for you. I know you like them and you said your dad wrecked yours so…"

Goten's eyes opened wide. She threw a jet black capsule onto the street and clapped her hands together when it exploded into a puff of smoke.

"Oh, my God! This isn't even on the market yet! How did you…when…what the hell, Bra…this is amazing!"

Bra nodded and tossed a keyring towards him.

"It's all yours for today, hot stuff!" Bra smirked.

He held back a cry of glee and trotted forward towards the beautiful, red bike. He hopped on the motorcycle and started the engine, delightfully enjoying every moment. Bra hopped on the back and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm ready!"

He put the bike in gear and it took off into the air. It sure was great that even the bikes were hovering above ground now, he thought.

They flew into the city and Bra pointed at a fancy café.

"Let's go there later! I've always wanted to go there for a date!"

Goten blushed. Date? She sure was forward.

She snuggled into his back, hugging him tightly. The two zoomed around the city for a joyride for some time when Goten noticed a certain vixen walking down the street, hand-in-hand with a guy and surrounded by friends.

"Shit." Goten whispered.

"What's wrong?" Bra asked.

"That girl…I know her. Her name's Valese. I was kinda supposed to be at a party with her the night we…you know…"

They pulled up to a red light and stopped awkwardly right beside the girl's entourage. Bra looked over curiously and caught the girl's eye. She flipped her hair and let go of the man she was with to point at Goten.

"Oh, my gosh! You jerk!" She called out.

Her friends quickly started adding their own insults. Goten felt pretty humiliated. After all, the crowd she was with all knew him very well and could be considered his friends, too.

"Who the hell is this little hussy anyway?" Valese squawked.

Bra smiled triumphantly, not at all bothered by her insult.

"Just ignore her, Bra." Goten grumbled, wishing the light would change.

Bra laughed. She flipped her long, blue hair over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes towards the girl.

"You jealous, bitch?" She called back.

Goten gasped. He could feel Bra stand up on the back of the bike. He began to ask what she was doing, but before he could she tilted his head backwards and kissed him. Goten felt his insides catch fire. When Bra plopped back down onto the back of the bike, Goten looked at his old crowd of friends and smirked. Bra waved like a princess as Goten hit the gas and sped off.

"That was insane!" Goten laughed, speeding down the street.

"Well, she shouldn't bother you again! Dumb bitch." Bra shrugged, leaning back dangerously far.

They pulled up to a fancy store a short distance ahead and Bra hopped off.

"So…question." Bra asked curiously, "Does this mean we're official? Or am I just your arm candy?"

"Arm candy? Well, I dunno, gorgeous…which would you prefer?" Goten winked.

Bra slapped his arm and giggled. Goten took her by the waist and pulled her close to him.

"Alright. If we decide to be official, does that mean I can do this whenever I want?"

He held onto her and looked into her beautiful, blue eyes with adoration. The decision to start a new relationship had always been hard for Goten, but responding to her snarky question was the easiest thing he'd ever done. He leaned down and kissed her before lifting her off of the ground and spinning her around.

"Yes!" Bra laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kicking her feet.

After Goten placed her back onto the ground, she quickly headed towards a fancy boutique and clapped her hands together with glee. Goten followed, a little nervous about how much she was planning to spend inside. Would he have to pay for it? Was that what she expected? He felt a cold sweat rush down his spine.

Just as she got to the front door of the shop, she gasped and jolted against the wall beside the door. Goten laughed at her playfully, but she grabbed him and threw him against the wall next to her. She held her arm out across his stomach and began to panic.

"Oh, my God…shit, shit, shit!" Bra squealed.

"What the hell?" Goten asked.

"Um…there's uh, something inside…I think we should go somewhere else! I mean, it's not like we need to go here, we can go anywhere! Anywhere but here!" Bra laughed nervously, looking everywhere but at Goten.

Goten frowned. Was she seriously afraid to go inside? He wondered if it was an ex-boyfriend or someone she really hated inside. Maybe he could play up the macho effect and earn even more points. He decided to brave it.

"It's okay, Bra. I've got you. Nothing bad is gonna happen with me around!" Goten declared.

He stepped away from the wall and pulled Bra's waist to his side. She tried to scurry away, but she couldn't escape his powerful, saiyan grip. He stepped into the shop triumphantly and scanned the room for whatever or whoever Bra was afraid of.

"See? There's nothing to be…Oh, my God…"

Goten's jaw hit the floor. Bra smacked her face and rolled her eyes.

"I tried to tell you…" She mumbled.

Right in front of them, Trunks was buying something at the register. A blonde girl with perfect, wavy hair wearing a pink dress and yellow high heels was standing next to him with her arms wrapped around his waist. Trunks placed his arm around her in response after handing over his shiny, platinum credit card to the cashier.

"I…" Goten began, holding his index finger up weakly.

Trunks, oblivious to his audience, pulled Marron right up next to his side and kissed the top of her head. She giggled and looked up, only to kiss him on the lips just like she had with Goten the night of the thunderstorm.

"What the actual fuck…" Goten growled.

He knew that he was starting to fall for Bra in a very serious and kind of scary way, but a powerful feeling of betrayal began to well up inside of him in that moment. After the previous night, after hearing her profess her undying love yet again, he thought she was still in love with him. She couldn't seem to _stop_ telling him how in love she was with him. What was she doing hanging all over Trunks when Goten could have very easily taken advantage of her vulnerability last night? Was she just playing him? Furthermore, wasn't Bulma just searching the house for Trunks because he was missing an important meeting?

"Goten!" Bra warned, "Let's just go!"

She yanked on his arm, but he refused to look away. Marron had already completely screwed up Goten's life, he wasn't going to let her do it to Trunks, too.

Trunks turned around and stepped back from Marron quickly. He started to sputter an apology, but Goten wasn't looking at him. He couldn't even hear what his best friend was saying. He was focused on Marron. 

"You fuckin' liar!" Goten pointed angrily with a fiery gaze.

"What?" Marron gasped, "Don't you start with me today, Goten!"

"Woah, woah, let's not get out of hand, guys!" Bra said, waving her arms around crazily.

Trunks apologized to the cashier and headed for the door, "Let's talk outside…"

Though the group started to head outside, it appeared those in the shop were pretty uneasy. The moment they stepped onto the sidewalk, Goten immediately started in on Marron.

"What the hell, Marron? What are you doing here, huh? You think I'm just gonna forget about everything you said last night? Trunks is still my best friend!"

Trunks frowned and held up a hand to Goten, "What are you talking about? What happened last night?"

"Yeah, what happened?" Bra added, crossing her arms at her brother's side.

Trunks looked confused and stared down at his little sister.

"What are you even doing here? Were you following us or something?"

"Of course not! I'm on a date, what does it look like?"

Goten cringed at the word 'date'. Trunks didn't look happy as it was, but to add salt to the wound she just _had_ to be honest with him. His blue eyes slowly locked onto Goten's with pure rage.

"Hold on…I thought you knew. You saw us that night at the hospital…I didn't see you for like a week…I thought you were mad about that…" Goten asked, panicking.

"Bra said that was a onetime thing, I didn't know it would lead…Wait a minute…the girl from that night you came over totally wasted…" Trunks began.

"Now, Trunks…it's not what you think. I can explain. Just lemme talk." Goten sputtered.

Trunks grabbed Goten's shirt and slung him against the wall. He raised his fist and growled angrily.

"She's just a kid! You taking advantage of her?" Trunks hollered into Goten's face.

Goten rolled his eyes, "She is _not_ a kid, dude! Trust me!"

Trunks hurled his fist at Goten, but stopped right before he reached his nose and angrily restrained himself.

"Trunks, stop!" Bra pleaded.

While the boys continued to argue, Marron tapped Bra on the shoulder lightly. She turned around and saw Marron's eyes slightly watery with tears.

"You're…you're dating Goten? Like really dating him?" Marron asked quietly.

"Yeah and you're screwing my brother…it's all relative, Marron!" Bra answered.

Trunks loosened his grip on Goten's shirt and yelled at Bra for her choice of words. Goten lost it.

"You fucking slept with her? I knew it!" Goten exclaimed.

His power level skyrocketed. He had to stop himself from transforming into a super saiyan right in front of everyone on the street. Instead of using the energy he had to change, he shot forward and hit Trunks as hard as he could square in the face.

Marron covered her mouth in horror and glared at Bra.

"Get him, Goten!" Bra declared, fist in the air, equally riled up.

Trunks staggered to his feet and brushed the blood from his mouth away with his hand. He returned to Marron's side quickly, where she checked him over protectively. They were at a standoff and people were staring.

"Okay…clearly this is a really screwed up situation. Let's think rationally here." Trunks said, breathing slowly and straightening out his jaw.

Goten lowered his guard, still fuming but stable. The girls relaxed a bit, thinking that Trunks had come up with a calm solution. He ran a hand through his purple hair and exhaled slowly. He opened his mouth to speak. The group listened, ready for his ideas.

"An eye for an eye!"

Before Goten could react, Trunks flew at him and punched him in the face so hard that he shot backwards into the brick wall of the shop and dented it inwards.

"You freaking ass!" Bra screeched.

Bra stomped towards him to defend Goten, but Marron grabbed her arm.

"Look let's just stop this! Let's talk it over calmly!" Marron pleaded.

Bra threw Marron off of her arm aggressively.

"Never grab the princess of all saiyans like that!" She roared with the ferocity of her father.

Just then, a voice came from behind them.

"Okay guys, let's take a breath here."

They quickly turned around to find Cabba looking quite disappointed in the group.

"Cabba! Didn't you see that? He fuckin hit me, close range!" Goten hollered, "Help me out, bro. Let's do this!"

"Look, let's stop the hitting and grabbing. Let's sit down and have a little talk before someone goes super saiyan on the side of the street." Cabba said calmly.

Trunks laughed, "Well, Bra won't because she can't!"

He pointed at her and she attempted to bite his finger.

"Guys! Let's go sit at that café over there and I'll get you all some coffee. Maybe a baguette? No biting!" Cabba scolded.

Bra and Trunks angrily eyed each other while Marron stood completely humiliated. Goten remained punched into the brick wall trying to unstick himself from the indent.

Casually, Cabba strolled across the street and took a seat on the outdoor patio of the café. A waiter approached him and he pointed at the group. Marron was the first to move.

"Trunks, let's just go over there."

Marron took his hand rather forcefully and pulled him along. Meanwhile, Bra rushed to Goten's side and held his face in her hands.

"Oh, Goten…I'm so sorry. My brother had no right!"

Goten coughed, "Yeah…no, he kinda did. You are his little sister. He just loves you. I'd punch someone for getting with Pan, too. It's my bad, really."

Bra withdrew and stood up straight.

"So…you regret it?" She asked, looking hurt.

"No…my hand is stuck…Help me outta here and I'll, uh, explain better."

Bra looked concerned, but nodded and leaned down to examine his hand. Without too much thought, she punched the bricks with one hand and freed him. A man walking by practically passed out when he witnessed the shards of brick flying everywhere from such a tiny woman.

"There!" Bra said triumphantly.

He smiled, "Thanks, princess. Now, about 'regretting' getting with you…"

He scooped Bra up into his arms and hugged her tightly. He kissed her lips playfully, setting her down and lingering there for a moment. She blushed and smiled.

"Let's get that free coffee, then. I really don't care what Trunks thinks of us…I can't say that I've ever been happier in my life!"

Bra turned and skipped across the street. Goten watched her and chuckled to himself. She was so oddly adorable. He followed after her and took a seat away from Trunks at Cabba's patio table.

"So…I guess I showed up at the perfect time!" Cabba smiled happily.

"More like stalker…" Marron groaned under her breath.

"You could call it that. I was actually just meeting Caulifla in a bit, so it's purely coincidence." Cabba shrugged.

"Caulifla, huh? Hmph." Marron scoffed.

Marron always had a bit of an issue with Cabba. Even when Cabba first moved in with Vegeta's family and started high school with Trunks and Goten, Marron thought he was an uptight jerk. Goten was pretty sure she was just jealous of him for some reason.

"So…what's the big issue here?" Cabba asked, stirring some creamer into his coffee.

"Um…" Goten whispered behind his hand, "Was that you last night that walked in on me? Is that why you're doing this? I swear it was a onetime thing and we totally shouldn't bring it up right now…"

Cabba looked back at him in shock and scowled, "I have no idea what you're talking about…and I don't want to know. Ew, Goten!"

He flushed a bright red and slumped down in his seat.

"Who's first? C'mon guys, let's get this all out in the open! I still have to meet Caulifla before my shift at the hospital…" Cabba encouraged with reservation.

The four looked around at each other inquisitively, but no one spoke. Cabba sighed heavily.

"Okay, I'll start then. Trunks and Goten…I assume the problem is that you don't like your best friend dating your sister…and you don't like your best friend dating your ex-fiancée."

Trunks and Goten nodded reluctantly.

"Well! You only have the power to take charge of your own life, not someone else's. Goten and Marron are over. I've heard just about enough drama from the two of them to last me six lifetimes."

Cabba eyed Marron, clearly taking Goten's side in their split. Marron blushed and slumped in her chair, mimicking Goten's posture.

"And Trunks…you want our sister with a good guy, don't you? Who better than the friend that you've had since, well I don't know, since he was born?"

Trunks frowned and looked away.

"I'm not comfortable with her dating anyone, period. He doesn't even know her! And she's not your sister. She's my sister. Get that through your head, bro."

Cabba looked a little wounded by his adoptive-brother's words, but Bra rolled her eyes and interrupted.

"Well, you can do whatever you want with whoever you want, Trunks. If you're happy with Marron, be my guest. It's not like you can do any better. Have you ever even _had_ a serious girlfriend?"

Bra snapped her finger and bobbed her head back forth as she talked, before crossing her arms and sitting back against the chair. Trunks sighed and took a gulp of his coffee while Marron looked completely destroyed by Bra's insult. Trunks peeked over at Marron and shrugged.

"Marron, don't you want to add anything to this… _clearly_ very coincidental intervention?"

Marron frowned up at him and shrugged back, "Well…I think we've all been under a lot of pressure and…maybe we're too involved with each other's problems. Clearly last night was a lapse of judgement and trust in Goten's ability to be an empathetic human being. It definitely won't happen again. I don't really even need to speak to him anymore, so I guess it doesn't matter _who_ I date."

Goten looked like a deer in headlights and blushed a bit. Bra was growing impatient.

"What happened last night with you two?" Bra asked with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing happened! We had some drinks, we talked, and that's all. Good closure to a dead relationship." Goten grumbled.

He felt a little nervous. He couldn't possibly admit to Bra what happened. Even if she was mad at him and they weren't together only a few short hours earlier, he wasn't supposed to be kissing Marron. Trunks would probably attack Goten on the spot if Marron spilled those beans.

Suddenly, Trunks stood up frantically with his phone is his hand looking as though he'd just seen a ghost on the phone's screen.

"Um…I totally forgot about this meeting…Mare, I'm so sorry. I really gotta go!"

Marron looked up at him slightly annoyed, "I _asked_ you if you had to work today…"

Cabba waved his hand a few times, "I can drop Marron off at home."

Marron scowled, but Trunks thanked Cabba and glared at Bra and Goten.

"I've got my eyes on you two…this isn't over."

He stomped off and threw a capsule, producing a very fancy sports car. Marron waved goodbye and Bra sighed.

"Thank God he's gone." Bra yawned.

Goten laughed and put his arm around her, causing Marron to roll her eyes.

"Well, Caulifla just texted…I gotta get going. Let's get going." Cabba suggested, standing up and placing a small pile of cash on the table.

"Okay seriously…were you literally just over here randomly? You didn't follow us?" Bra asked, leaning forward in her seat.

Cabba smiled warmly, "No, I didn't follow you. I had stuff to do today. Cauli and I…we've got a lot to talk about. It's the first time since…since she left. Besides, she's talking about moving out to the city. I offered to help Caulifla find an apartment on her own…"

Goten raised his eyebrows, "Really? Mom's okay with that? She threw a fuckin fit when I tried to move out the first time…she thinks of Caulifla like a daughter."

Cabba shrugged, "I'm just looking forward to having my best friend back."

There was a painful, raw emotion in Cabba's words that seemed a bit out of place for him. He was thoughtful and polite, but he never talked about Caulifla after she left. It seemed they had a big falling out after graduation. Goten felt like he saw them together all the time before that. Were they something more?

Marron got up hesitantly and followed Cabba down the sidewalk. When they were out of sight, Bra let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Well _that_ was fucking weird." Bra laughed, pressing her thigh against Goten's as she scooted her chair closer.

"Yeah, it was. It sure did feel like an intervention." Goten admitted, staring up at the bright sky thoughtfully.

"Hmm…so what do you wanna do now?" Bra asked.

"Well I've been meaning to ask you if you wanted to come to this part tonight." Goten suggested.

"Is it gonna be legit or lame because I am so totally down if it's legit…" Bra asked coyly.

He laughed, "Any party that my buddy Mikio throws is legit. It'll be dope. I'm guessing you'll wanna go shopping for an outfit though, right?"

She threw her arms around his neck dramatically.

"You know me so well already, Ten!"

As they walked down the street, Bra was pulling Goten along by the arm so hard that he struggled to stifle his complaining. He occasionally pulled back when she got too excited. She was no match for his tugs and flung backwards like a ragdoll, much to his amusement.

"It's so weird dating another saiyan. You're as strong as I am!" She said.

"I dunno. We gotta work on your whole not being able to turn super saiyan thing. How can you not be able to do that yet? Trunks and I were so young…it just kinda happened for us." Goten asked, staring into the window of an electronics shop.

She frowned, "I dunno! Neither can Pan so maybe girls can't? Oh wait…Caulifla…well, she's from another universe and a pureblood..."

"Hardly an excuse." Goten laughed pridefully.

"Well, my dad says princesses don't need to be super saiyans because I'm already powerful enough without it!"

Goten laughed and poked her cheek. "He's got that right!"

After a day of visiting stores that Goten had never even heard of before, he was exhausted. Bra had a bag or two from at least twelve different places. So much for taking the motorcycle home, Goten remised. They ended up using one of Bra's larger SUVs.

"Sorry we couldn't take the bike out again, I know how much you love it. I'll get you one from the garage when we get back. My mom has like eight of them because my dad likes to ride them."

Goten's mouth fell open. "Your mom has…eight… _Vegeta_ likes motorcycles?"

He made a face at the thought of big, tough saiyan Vegeta enjoying such a human hobby.

Bra rolled her eyes, "He's a lot more fun than you guys think. I totally love my dad. He's the best!"

She beamed with such pride, Goten thought. Her father was supposed to be the king of their dwindling race one day, and perhaps she could have been the queen in another life. He laughed out loud at the thought of Trunks as a king, causing Bra to scrunch her face at him.

Goten was jealous. Vegeta had instilled such pride in their race within Trunks and Bra. Goku didn't even know he was a saiyan until his evil brother tried to kill Gohan when he was just a toddler. Goten felt that burning anger towards his father stabbing at his heart again.

"I wish I would've been taught more about saiyan customs when I was younger. My mom was mad at me when I turned super saiyan for the first time…she said I wasn't allowed to do it again. She called me a monster."

Bra laughed, "Well, I'm sure you and Trunks proved her wrong several times over. Gotenks is awesome."

Goten gave her a surprised look, "You think Gotenks is awesome? I think he's kind of a twerp to honest."

He felt himself blushing and looked away.

"My dad doesn't like teaching the fusion technique. He thinks it looks stupid. Your dad wasn't around to teach Pan so we never got to learn it together. Who else could I possibly fuse with? It's gotta be a girl obviously."

Goten stared down at the floor of Bra's car and sighed.

"What's wrong?" She asked, driving far too fast.

Goten paused. Slowly he looked up to meet her gaze and frowned.

"I hate my dad."

 **CHAPTER TEN**

Cabba and Marron walked for a little while before reaching a parking lot where he left his modest car. He knew she would ask, like most people did, so he decided it was best to explain.

"I don't like to keep my car in a capsule. It starts to smell musty. It's not fancy enough, anyway. Who's gonna steal this old thing?"

He unlocked the doors and climbed inside. Marron hastily opened the passenger door without speaking and plopped down into the seat. She was obviously furious.

"Wanna talk about it?" Cabba asked, "I've been told I'm a good listener…"

"No." She answered flatly.

He felt a little anxious and uncomfortable, but started up the engine and pulled out of the parking spot. He drove towards Capsule Corp and began feeling nervous about seeing Caulifla. He was positive things would get heated, they always did. She always ended up yelling at him. Strangely, it was one of the many things he found so attractive about her.

"I'm uh…I'm nervous about meeting up with Caulifla later." Cabba said, breaking the thick silence inside of his car.

"Ok?" Marron answered, staring out the window.

"What should I say? It's been so long…"

"What do you want to say to her exactly?" Marron shot back with an attitude.

"I don't really know. All these years went by…I'm a different guy, you know? I just hope she's still the same Caulifla I remember…"

"That's not really fair, is it? You said that you've changed, but she's not allowed to change? You can't expect her to hold back just to keep you happy. You don't own her."

Marron was projecting. He knew this. He knew she really had no idea about the night Caulifla left and what they did. He knew she was unaware of the passion hidden deep within his heart. No one could ever replace Caulifla, but he could never admit it out loud. Not even to Caulifla herself.

"I guess you're right. I should probably just start over fresh then, right? Just…talk and stuff…" Cabba suggested openly.

"Sure. Do that."

He felt like giving up on the conversation. She wasn't being very helpful. Driving up to Capsule Corp's driveway came just in time. Still, he understood her heartbreak and didn't want her to think he didn't care at all.

"Hey, Marron?" He called through the open passenger window as she walked towards the house.

"What, Cabba?" She sighed impatiently.

"You shouldn't let Goten control your life. You should do what makes you happy. You deserve it."

Marron stood silently and stared at Cabba with wide eyes. He waited nervously for a snarky response, but instead, a little smile began to form on her pale face.

"T-Thanks…" She whispered.

Cabba smiled and rolled up the window. The time had come. It was time to see her. As he drove towards the park she asked him to meet her in, his mind burst into a flurry of memories. His heart began to race. It all came down to the night he told her he was moving to Earth for good. That was the night that changed everything. It was also quite possibly the night that ruined them forever.

That fateful night, Cabba headed to Caulifla's little house on the mountain to tell her about his decision to leave and train with Vegeta. He was leaving his family behind, which was painful, but the tournament of power brought the greatest friendship he'd ever had in his life. Caulifla and Kale would be furious with him.

He stepped inside of Caulifla's home and tried hard to look normal. Kale was standing in the kitchen and offered him a seat at the little counter area. She'd made some dinner and Caulifla was gathering some utensils up from a drawer.

"You okay?" Kale asked shyly, heaving a large pot of soup onto the counter from the stove.

"What?" Cabba asked, distracted.

She seemed to get a sense of how serious he was and stopped asking questions. Caulifla however wasn't quick to catch on.

"He's probably just still mad about losing to us at the tournament, right?" Caulifla laughed, turning around with her hands full and smiling.

He smirked, "Of course."

The three of them sat down at the table and began to put food onto their plates. Caulifla started talking about something that happened at the club earlier that day and how she put some guys in their places, but Cabba couldn't pay attention. He was totally absorbed in the news he had to share. How could he break into their conversation and tell them without ruining the night?

"Cabba, c'mon…what's wrong? You seem so sad." Kale said quietly, placing a hand on Cabba's arm.

Cabba noticed Caulifla twinge a bit and look away. He tried to ignore it.

"It's not that I'm…sad. I'm actually really excited. I just don't know how to tell you two what I need to say." Cabba answered, rubbing his forehead.

"Well if you have something to say, then just say it. You don't have to think so hard, Cabba." Caulifla snapped.

"It's not easy for me…to make other people sad. I _know_ you'll both be sad." He said somberly.

Kale and Caulifla looked at each other with concern.

"W-Well…We're your best friends. We want to help you. Tell us." Kale said with a weak smile.

Caulifla abruptly stood up. She hopped onto the last empty barstool and took a seat opposite of Cabba. She leaned in close to him, but didn't touch him.

"Tell me." She demanded, "Tell me now or I'll have to punch it outta you."

Cabba laughed and decided it was now or never. They weren't going to let this go.

"Okay…Well…I'm…leaving. Tomorrow morning. I'm leaving and I don't know if I'll ever come back to Sadala again..." Cabba said, trailing off into a whisper.

The room fell silent. It was so quiet that Cabba could hear his heart beating against his chest. His pulse began to quicken. His chest tightened. The questions simply started pouring out of the girls' mouths. They couldn't help themselves.

"Where are you going? Why? Why do you think it's okay to leave us? You didn't even tell us that you were thinking about leaving…but where? How is there anywhere you can go that we can't go, too?" Caulifla sputtered over Kale.

Cabba's eyes grew large. He wasn't sure what he expected, but this wasn't exactly it.

"I'm going to Earth. Universe 7. Champa is allowing me to go and train under Vegeta…I want to become strong like him and I don't feel like I can ever achieve that kind of control on my own. I'm weak. I'm no good to my family or to you both like this. Imagine if an enemy like Jiren attacked our planet? How could I protect anyone like this?"

Kale gasped, "Cabba…you're the best hope this planet has! You're our leader!"

"No. You are the best hope that Sadala has. You are the strongest saiyan on Sadala, Kale." Cabba said with complete certainty.

Caulifla scoffed jealously.

"Yeah…He's right, Kale. With me _and_ you, Sadala is protected. We've got this!" She said with a broken voice.

"That's the spirit, Caulifla!" Cabba smiled.

Caulifla stood up, but tripped over the chair leg and stumbled to the floor.

"Shit!" She growled, getting back to her feet.

"What's wrong, sis?" Kale asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"You know…I'm not. I think I might be…um…getting sick or something." She answered.

"Well then you should be in bed. I can go." Cabba suggested.

"No. No, stay. If it's our last night as a group…uh, let's celebrate or something!" Caulifla suggested, "I'm okay…"

Kale clapped her hands together excitedly and ran over to the cabinets. She pulled down a bottle of a celebratory drink called Yoma and took a quick sip.

"Oh, I might not be able to drink much of this stuff, but it's for celebrations and happiness so…" She giggled.

Cabba gave in and after a few hours, the three of them were highly intoxicated. They laughed and tumbled around happily as Kale walked to the door to head home. She hugged Cabba tightly. She seemed to easily walk out the door and head home, which hurt just a bit. When Cabba closed the front door behind her, he turned to face Caulifla alone for the first time.

"So…" She said, holding on to her kitchen counter for balance.

"So." Cabba answered, smiling widely and feeling flighty.

"You're really going to Earth? You're…really leaving…"

"Yes." He answered, matter-of-factly.

"Oh."

The awkward silence between them grew deafening.

"Are you going to like…live alone?" Caulifla asked curiously.

"No…I'm going to live at their big house. They have a lot of Earth money." Cabba shrugged.

"How do they get all that on Earth? It's not like people hire Vegeta for anything…" Caulifla grumbled with contempt.

"I plan to go to Earth school for a year or two…maybe I can find a hobby of my own to pursue in addition to my training. I've been reading some books that Whis gave me about Earth customs. I think…I think I want to help people, but I don't know how yet. I suppose I'll be in the same school as Goten and Trunks."

"That sounds awful." Caulifla laughed loudly, stumbling forward again.

"Geez…Let me help you to bed, Caulifla. You can't even stand up." Cabba laughed, equally inebriated.

"Yeah, yeah, alright." She said, waving her hand around.

Cabba approached her and put one arm around her carefully. She put hers around his waist and held on as they wobbled down a small hallway towards her bedroom. When she opened the door, he couldn't believe his own eyes.

"Woah…" He gasped.

"Shut up, I'll clean it eventually." She grumbled, kicking a shirt out of her way.

"No, it's…it's so…pink." He laughed, "I didn't peg you for the pink type…"

Caulifla scoffed, "I wear a pink top most of the time when I'm training!"

"Yeah but that's a top. This is…well, everything!" Cabba snapped back, staring around.

"Whatever, dude." She answered, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"So…this is it." He said calmly, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You said earlier that you didn't feel well and then we made you drink. I'm sure you feel horrible now."

Caulifla burst out laughing.

"I was lying, silly." She shrugged, "I'm not sick!"

"What? Why would you say that then?" He asked, confused.

"Isn't it obvious? Or are you just that dumb?"

Her snarky remark went completely over Cabba's head. He squinted his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

"I don't get it."

Frustrated, Caulifla stood up and poked Cabba in the chest clumsily. The two of them wobbled backwards and Cabba smacked backwards into her closet door.

"Listen, mister. I'm not going to tell you if you don't know. You just disappear off to another universe and live your happy life and I'll be here laughing because you never got what I meant."

Cabba again squinted at her, clearly unable to hold his head completely upright. He was totally lost.

"I should just SHOW you what I meant!" Caulifla groaned, "Maybe then you'll get a clue."

"Show me? What the heck are you talking about?" Cabba exclaimed, still laughing.

In a split second, he felt her hands grab him by the cheeks. She pulled him towards her and smacked her lips into his awkwardly.

"W-wait a second!" Cabba screeched in a panic, pushing her back.

"What?" She asked somewhat angrily.

"You're drunk. We're drunk. This is…this can't be what you meant earlier. I mean, we're best friends. And what about Kale? I can't do this." Cabba sputtered, blushing violently and flailing his arms.

Caulifla stood silently with a dumb smile on her face.

"Shut up." She whispered.

"I can't even process what's going on right now!" Cabba continued, "I mean, what the heck! I've never even kissed a girl before and then you just…"

"Shut. Up." She said again.

Caulifla pulled him in for a second kiss. This time, he gave in just a little bit when he felt her body pressed up against his. He held on to her sides, but stayed still as she finished the kiss only to start another. And another. And yet another. Soon, they were stuck in a cycle of kissing that wouldn't break. She was moving again, taking him with her. His legs were like jelly. He couldn't control the situation.

They tumbled backwards onto her bed. The kissing didn't stop. It only grew more intense. It was awkward and weird, but it felt good. She was like a taste of heaven. His heart was exploding. Soon he realized he wouldn't be able to leave if he kept things going.

"Caulifla…I can't." He whispered, stopping abruptly and sitting up.

"Why not?" She growled.

"I…I can't…"

He couldn't think of anything more to say. In a weak state of mind, he stood up and faced away from her. He had to stop this now.

"Goodbye, Caulifla…I…I won't ever forget you…"

A year went by after that with no word from her. He missed her every single day on Earth as he adjusted to his new life, but that all changed when she appeared exactly one year later with the same plan he'd told her for himself. She enrolled at his high school, befriended his human friends, even dated the other guys at their school. They never spoke of that night again.

"Cabba!"

Cabba looked up and saw Caulifla trotting towards him happily from across the park. She was wearing a heavy coat and scarf and her cheeks were bright pink from the wind whipping across her skin. She must've flown there.

"C-Caulifla…" Cabba whispered.

To his surprise, she jumped right onto his chest and hugged him tightly. When he'd seen her at the hospital with their families, she hadn't even touched him. Was she embarrassed of him?

"Cabba, I thought we could go to a few apartments and you tell me which you think is best. I don't even have a good sense of the cost around here, you know? You're more human than I am at this point. Living on the outer rim of the galaxy for five years does that to a girl, ya know?"

"I…I know…" He answered with a smirk.

"Are you good?" Caulifla asked, "You look all weird."

"I'm fine…"

His short answer was good enough for her. They started walking into the city area together. She explained her life with Goku on the strange planet a saiyan named Broly called home. Their training had been intense and relentless, but she claimed her strength was higher than he could even imagine. He had trouble picturing it. She had no idea the training Cabba had been doing with Vegeta, either.

The first apartment building they arrived at was brand new. A big sign hung on the entrance reading "now leasing" in big, bold letters. She couldn't contain herself and burst through the front door with a squeal. Cabba felt a bit awkward and followed behind her, apologizing to a man who was startled from reading quietly in the lobby area.

"Hi! I want to see an apartment!" Caulifla announced loudly to a woman sitting at the front desk.

"Sure…what floorplan were you thinking?" She asked politely.

"I want a studio…top floor…you got that?" Caulifla replied, looking over a brochure.

The woman typed on her computer and looked nervous. She cleared her throat and looked up at Caulifla, examining her huge hair curiously.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am…we're sold out of those for the foreseeable future."

Caulifla groaned dramatically, "What? You just opened, though!"

"Yes, we've had inquiries ready for months…"

Cabba felt a little sorry for her, but tried to lead her away.

"C'mon Caulifla…we can look at other places."

Caulifla pouted and crossed her arms.

"Actually this was the only place I had in mind…"

"What?" Cabba exclaimed.

"I thought it'd be easy..."

Cabba sighed and shook his head. She was so bad at being human.

"Okay, hold on…" Cabba suggested, "Ma'am…what about the next size up? Any one bedrooms?"

The woman typed again and shook her head. Cabba felt a bit deflated and realized he'd probably have to drag Caulifla out, but the woman stood up with a keyring in her hand and smiled.

"Please allow me to show you another option. I think you might really like it…just give it a chance?"

Cabba and Caulifla looked at each other. When she shrugged and skipped after the woman, Cabba smiled and stood back a bit. Watching her happy brought him such joy. He followed after them to the elevator and noticed the woman hit the third floor button. Caulifla probably wanted the top floor for the rooftop. The building Caulifla's gang lived out of on Sadala had a rooftop hangout that was the talk of their town. He was sure of it when he saw the slightly disappointed little frown on her face.

"So this is the third floor…I know it's not what you were originally thinking, but try to keep an open mind. I think you'll really love it." The saleswoman said cheerfully, stepping off of the elevator.

Cabba looked over at Caulifla, who shrugged sadly. The followed the woman down a hallway that smelled like fresh paint up to a door marked with the number 322. She unlocked the door quickly and held it open for them, gesturing for them to enter.

Inside, the kitchen to their left boasted beautiful, marble countertops and stark white cabinetry. A little bar area above the sink jolted Cabba's memory back to Caulifla's old house. She seemed to remember as well and ran over to it happily.

"Cabba…it looks like…"

"I know." He answered, smiling weakly.

A spacious living room behind the bar was lit up by a large pair of windows. They approached them and looked out to find a bird's eye view of a sparkling pool below. The apartment building blocked the pool in, making it a perk they hadn't realized from looking at the building from the street.

"Wow! A pool!" Caulifla squealed.

"Yes, there is an indoor pool on the ground floor that's heated beside the workout area as well." The saleswoman bragged.

"So…where's the bedroom?" Caulifla asked excitedly.

"Well, this model has two." The saleswoman smiled.

"Oh…" Caulifla sighed, "I probably really can't afford this place then. What would I need a second bedroom for?"

Cabba suddenly realized the woman's grand plan.

"Well, what exactly is your living situation, sir?" The woman asked.

Cabba blushed, "I live with my family…"

Caulifla scoffed and rolled her eyes. He frowned and turned away.

"Have you considered getting a place of your own? You're young, but old enough that it's probably time. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a surgical resident…" Cabba answered.

"Perfect! I'm sure a two bedroom split between you is perfectly well within your budget. What do you do, young lady?"

Caulifla paused. Cabba sighed and realized she had yet to find a job and was only relying on borrowed money, probably from Bulma. He jumped in quickly to save her.

"She's an intern at Capsule Corp."

The woman looked thrilled and clapped her hands together.

"Perfect! How about the two of you take a look around? I'll be just outside if you have any questions!"

The woman scurried away and shut the front door behind her, leaving Cabba and Caulifla alone together. Caulifla looked furious with him.

"What's wrong?" He asked thoughtfully.

"Don't ever speak for me…you got that?" She growled.

"What? You would've rather said you were unemployed?" He snapped back, crossing his arms.

"It's the truth! I always tell the truth!"

"Right."

"Asshole."

Caulifla turned away from him. He realized perhaps he might have over stepped, but something about her situation made him want to provide for her. He felt obligated, especially after the way he said goodbye on Sadala all those years ago.

"Cauli…"

"What?" She practically shouted.

"I was thinking…would it…be so bad for us to share a place? It might be like old times…you know?"

She stayed silent for a moment, still looking out the window. Finally he exhaled loudly and turned around.

"I guess it might be okay…"

Cabba smiled. He felt his heart skip a beat. Her dark eyes stared at him with so many secret feelings that he couldn't tell what she was thinking. She was so difficult to read, even if she had no filter whatsoever.

"It's settled. Let me handle the first month's rent, then. Think of it as a welcome home gift."

"Why?" She asked, "I can…"

"I want to." He shrugged.

"You do?"

"Yeah…"

In an instant, Cabba was transported back in time. Caulifla's expression was exactly the same that night. Her eyes were just as soft and vulnerable. He couldn't look away. He wanted to kiss her, but it wasn't right. He couldn't kiss her right now. They'd only barely started speaking again. His heart began to race.

"I think we'll get it, then. I look forward to being roomies…jerkface…" Caulifla giggled.

She stepped forward. He stopped breathing.

"Don't get any ideas, though…" She whispered.

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

After their first date being filled with more drama than a soap opera, Bra was ever so grateful for the party Goten's friend Mikio was throwing that night. She hoped she could drink away all the awkwardness, seeing as Trunks and Marron would surely be there.

The air was cold as ice outside and the full moon was shining brightly. Bra shivered when she looked out of the kitchen window at Capsule Corp and pulled a large, puffy scarf around her neck in preparation.

She was nervous to meet all of Goten's friends at a party, but more nervous that those friends were also good friends of Trunks and Marron. Bra was only four years younger than Trunks, but it felt like they were decades apart more often than not, especially after Cabba joined the family and went to high school with them. She ran her fingers through her long side ponytail anxiously, which she straightened and sprayed with some glitter spray.

"Ah!" She exclaimed, startling the studious Gohan, who was sitting at the dining room table alone and typing up a report on his laptop for Bulma.

She ran into the hallway bathroom and began to dig through her purse. Her gigantic bag seemed endless at times, but she couldn't live without it. Finally, she felt the shape of her favorite lip gloss and plucked it from the purse. She applied it liberally in the mirror, smacking her lips and checking her eye makeup one last time.

She loved the way she looked, and wasn't afraid to admit it. Her pride and vanity came naturally, like she was born to be the best. In all honesty, she really felt like she was the best at everything she'd ever done in her life. Bra's self-esteem was always sky high.

During her casual thought process, he thought briefly about the conversation with Goten earlier. He actually said he hated his dad. Was he serious? She frowned and set down her lip gloss on the sink. She just couldn't relate to him and empathize at all in regards to Goku.

Vegeta was a fantastic father. He was always reliable and always proud of her no matter what. He was strict and forced her to train, but he also instilled a pride within her worthy of royalty. Family was more to him than just a show. It was his legacy. It was absolutely everything.

Her mind wandered onto to the subject of her saiyan power. The fact that she was still not a super saiyan was slightly embarrassing, but she had never needed to justify it to anyone since Vegeta was so supportive.

What about fusion? After all, Gotenks reached super saiyan 3 while fused, but not apart.

Why hadn't she ever fused with Pan? She remembered asking Trunks to teach them when they were younger, but he never helped her train and just dismissed the idea. He was only interested in proving that he was better than she was. Bra knew it was just to impress their father, so she didn't push the subject very often.

Besides, Vegeta never taught Trunks how to fuse. That was Goku. The father that Goten hated taught him a technique that her own father refused to teach his prized daughter.

Flustered but still excited, she opened the bathroom door and walked out casually.

"God dammit!"

A crash exploded in front of her and Vegeta was suddenly on the floor, scrambling to pick up the pieces of a shattered sculpture.

"Ah! Sorry, dad!" Bra squealed, covering her mouth dramatically.

"You can apologize to your mother! She's been hounding me about this damn thing all day. Do you have any idea how much money this was worth? She's going to kill me…" Vegeta growled, scooping tiny pieces into his hand.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" She whined.

"You're never paying attention!" He paused and stared up at her with a frown, "And just where the hell do you think you're going?"

She rolled her eyes, "Daddy…I'm going to a party, duh."

"Tch. If any boys try anything…" He mumbled as he stood up.

"Ha…You know I'd kill them." Bra chirped with a smile.

He blushed and crossed his arms, staring up at the ceiling.

"Stay safe." Vegeta grumbled protectively.

He turned around and marched upstairs. Bra heard a tiny snicker and remembered that Gohan was still sitting at the table.

Bra decided she should check on Goten to see what was taking so long and headed to his temporary bedroom. He had become quite comfortable at the Brief household over the past two weeks, leaving clothes about and constantly leaving his cell phone all over the house. She wondered if it was a good thing that she was getting used to having him around or if she should stop getting so comfortable with the idea.

"Goten!" Bra called happily at his bedroom door.

He didn't answer.

She knocked on the door lightly and heard a small gasp.

"Goten?"

She slowly turned the doorknob and peeked inside.

"Goten!" She screeched, "Are you sleeping?"

He shot off of the bed and fell face first onto the ground.

"Holy shit! What time is it?"

He was in his blue-striped boxers and looked like he'd fallen asleep after a shower. Bra crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"I'm ready! I'm sorry! Give me two minutes!" Goten shouted.

He frantically ran around the room grabbing his things and threw on the nearest shirt and pants he could find. He tripped over one of his shoes and sat down forcefully on the edge of the bed. Bra couldn't help but laugh at him.

"You aren't allowed to laugh at me! You wore me out with your shopping all day!" He groaned, "I can't remember the last time I went to so many fucking stores in a single day!"

She sighed, "Well, if you didn't have such huge feet, you wouldn't fall over your shoes all the time! You're so clumsy." She pointed at her stilettos with confidence, "It takes true skill to wear shoes like these. And you fall over your sneakers!"

He frowned, "They aren't sneakers! They're converse…there's a difference!"

She sighed, but couldn't help the smile that snuck onto her face.

"Whatever, can we go now?"

He stood up in front of her and stretched his long arms up to the ceiling, "Yes, yes let's go. I'm sorry, I needed sleep to party-hardy, you know?"

He hugged her tightly, throwing her off balance for a moment. She loved the feeling of his long arms around her, but cringed at his terrible joke.

"Wait one second though…" Goten added quietly.

"What? What is it?" Bra asked, looking down at herself nervously, "You don't like the outfit?"

"Oh, Bra…trust me…that is not the problem. Well…Actually never mind, it's cool. Let's go."

A little concerned by his random comment, she led him out to the front of the house. She threw a hot pink capsule that revealed a stellar sports car in white. She walked up to it casually and hopped into the driver's seat.

"Aw, why this one? I liked the one from earlier!" Goten complained, squeezing himself inside the passenger door.

Bra scoffed.

"Goten. I can't ride in a convertible with my hair done!"

As they drove off with squealing tires to the pavement, Bra noticed Gohan in her rearview mirror. He stood silently in the window of Capsule Corp with a solemn, disappointed expression. She felt oddly creeped out by Goten's seemingly harmless older brother. He'd been looming around the house with a little gray cloud over his head all day. Odd, she thought, but then again he _was_ always a little weird.

Not ten minutes down the street, a massive amount of cars filled both sides of the road. People were walking towards a relatively small house with brown bags of alcohol and party attire. This was definitely going to be fun.

"These houses are so super small…Sometimes I wonder how everyone can fit in there." Bra said nonchalantly.

Goten laughed, "It can get a little crowded, but it's cool. After a few drinks it won't really matter, will it?"

She frowned as they exited the car and Goten began to wander away. He stopped and stared at her when he realized she wasn't following him.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Goten…Why are all of the cars on the street and not in capsules? I mean, are people crazy? I never really thought about it before, but why the hell would you trust anyone in _this_ area? I know I sure don't."

Goten blinked a few times and sighed. His expression seemed to be a mix of frustration, shock and just a hint of offence taken.

"Some people can't afford capsule cars, Bra. A lot of people still have regular old cars without a capsule at all..."

She gasped. It seriously surprised her that capsules weren't completely mainstream. Goten rolled his eyes, but smiled at her naïve response.

"Just roll with it, babe."

Bra blushed. She pressed the button on her pink capsule and returned her sparkling car to its safe home. Hand-in-hand, the couple ventured towards the thumping music and hordes of people.

The little house was a modest spilt-level on top of a hill. It was one of many older homes along the street side, but located slightly further away from the road than the others. Bra thought it looked a little creepy from the outside, but all the people helped with that. They passed a few people she recognized from around town and clung closely to Goten, showing him off.

"Ready for this?" Goten asked.

She smiled and shrugged playfully, placing one arm around his waist.

"I was born ready for anything life throws at me, bitch." She answered.

Goten laughed and opened the door to a booming loud party of all sorts of faces in the crowd. She'd never seen such a diverse mix of people. Hipsters galore, Goten fit right in among the skinny jeans and converse crowd. She watched him greeting people and glowed inside with pride. What a confident guy he was around friends, she thought. Even though he already had her wrapped around his finger, it was a huge turn-on to see such a confident side to him.

Being the tallest person in the room definitely had its perks. Goten snaked his way through the crowd and into the open living room with black leather sofas and ran up to a small guy sitting in front of the huge television set.

"There he is!"

He clapped his hands down on a guy's shoulders, startling him, but he turned to greet Goten with a beaming smile.

"Goten! Long time, no see! Isn't this party _sick_?"

A very clearly wasted dude about the same height as Goten stood up from the couch. He had shaggy brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes. They seemed to know each other pretty well and bro-hugged like a couple of frat guys. Bra grew a little impatient and interrupted.

"Hey, sorry…can I get a drink? I like…know no one here…" She suggested awkwardly.

Goten's friend poked her shoulder, "You most certainly can, missy! You just head on over there and tear into it!"

"Heh…wow…" Bra chuckled.

"Bra, this is my buddy Mikio. I've known his crazy ass for years. Can you hang here with him before he passes out? I'll go get us drinks." Goten asked Bra, patting his friend on the back.

She shook her head and laughed. As Goten walked away, Mikio put his arm around Bra's shoulder and looked out at the crowd.

"My girlfriend throws the most bangin parties, yeah? I thought I was gonna be able to chill, like, you know…just take it easy but that never happens when Trunks show up, right?"

"What? Trunks is here already?" Bra asked.

"Hell yeah!" Mikio answered, nearly falling backwards, "Dude's _crazy_!"

Gently, Bra sat Mikio down on the couch and backed away slowly. She figured whoever his girlfriend was would be around soon enough to keep him in check.

Goten soon reappeared and handed Bra a red solo cup.

"What's this?" Bra asked, sniffing the drink.

"Oh, it's cream soda mixed with butterscotch schnapps. I thought you'd like it."

Bra shrugged and tried the mixture, instantly squealing with glee. "It's so sweet and…ahh, so good!"

He laughed and held out a hand, "Shall we dance?"

Bra grinned. "Hell yeah!"

Goten spun her around onto the dance floor. Instantly, she took to her moves that he remembered from that first night, only with precision that clearly was lost from all of the alcohol last time. He held onto her tightly and they danced well into the night, breaking now and then to get another drink, until they lost count. The music pounded and it seemed that they were moving in slow motion, grinding around on each other and kissing frequently. Goten's friends were starting to notice and talking about it. He was obviously trying not to care that some of them, mainly the girls that were on Marron's side of the split. Bra was starting to feel just a little insecure.

"Goten! Ah! Let's take a break. I'm so hot!" She kissed his cheek and folded backwards in his arm, spilling her drink on the floor.

"Oops!"

They both laughed and fell onto the nearest couch.

The lights were dim, aside from the colored lights shooting around the room and a disco ball somewhere in the house. She snuggled into his chest and laughed, taking another sip of her drink. She felt dizzy, but smiled and tried closing her eyes.

"Woah!" She exclaimed, "Woah, don't close your eyes. Ah, the room is spinning!"

He laughed, "What are you, a light weight?"

She leaned forward and rubbed her eyes. "Hell nah!"

When she stopped rubbing her eyes, she noticed that Goten was looking at something. She wobbled her head in the direction he was looking and sighed loudly, deflating and flailing her arms clumsily. Goten laughed at her.

"Uh, oh…Bra, here comes trouble! I'm too drunk for this shit!"

Trunks and Marron were headed straight for them. Bra was a little nervous. He never liked seeing his sister drunk in public.

Goten stood up, falling back onto the chair, but raising up again.

"Trunks! Hello, good sir! What a fine fuckin evening we have here!" Goten announced loudly with a dopey smile.

Trunks laughed, "Okay, you are really drunk. We were here earlier but Marron forgot something at home. I'm totally not at your level yet, but I'll get there. Take it easy, bro."

Goten looked at Marron with drunken confidence.

"Mare, were you crying? You look a little…puffy."

Trunks sighed, "Goten, stop. You are really drunk. Think before you talk."

Marron shrugged, " I don't care what he thinks about anything."

She was clearly bothered by not just what he said, but his appearance. He'd changed from average guy to hipster over the past year, and it was just not Marron's style. Bra rose up next to Goten to defend him if needed, grasping his waist to steady herself.

"Hey guys, go away, we're having personal time!" She squeezed him, causing him to gulp down a sip of alcohol and choke briefly.

"Watch out for her. She gets violent when drunk!" Trunks laughed, pointing at Bra who instinctively tried to bite his finger.

"Stop…pointing!" She pointed back at him.

"Okay! We're going over here…don't get into too much trouble!" Trunks shrugged.

Goten gave Trunks a thumbs up before dropping his cup and laughing at himself, unnerving Trunks a bit.

When Trunks and Marron disappeared back into the crowd, Goten crouched down next to Bra and kissed the side of her head.

"Okay, let's find some quiet!"

"What?" Bra asked, deaf from the music.

He laughed and then literally threw Bra over his shoulder.

"Goten! I…I wasn't done dancing yet!"

He scoffed, "We can dance anytime! I need to…um…lay down!"

She giggled, thinking that he was alluding to another activity and just acting. She let him carry her up the staircase to the upper floor. He set her down and they found a bedroom that was empty. He stumbled inside. She fell forward, catching herself and laughed.

"Oh, my God. I can't stand up anymore!"

He grabbed her waist and flung her onto the bed, but before he could do anything else, he shot straight up and froze.

"Goten? What's wrong?" She asked with slurred speech.

"I feel like I'm gonna...nope, I'm good!"

He jumped onto the bed and began kissing her. She accepted happily, but he froze again after only a few seconds.

"Goten…" She said, pushing him away.

"I…I think…oh shit…" He jumped off of the bed, looked around, and ran for the nearest window.

After an impressively long time hanging out of the window and hurling, Goten pulled his head inside and collapsed onto the ground against the wall. Bra sat with one strap of her dress hanging off of her shoulder and her mouth hanging open.

"That sweet stuff, man…it gets me every time. Mikio would probably kill me if I'd puked on his bed."

He laughed half-heartedly and rubbed his forehead.

"Geez, Goten. We didn't have to party so hard if you knew your limit was over!"

She slid off of the bed and onto the floor next to him.

"Do you feel better now?" She asked sweetly, getting a slightly better grip over her own actions.

He nodded pathetically. She smiled and laid her head on his arm. He fell completely silent for a long time.

"Goten?"

Bra finally asked, shattering their silence like broken glass. He jumped a bit, but answered.

"Yeah…yeah I'm alright."

She frowned.

"So…what's actually going on with you? Like really…"

"What do you mean? I'm drunk as fu-"

"No, I mean about your dad…you just seem…So angry. This heavy drinking…it's not like…to make the pain go away…is it?"

He took in a deep, heavy breath and sighed.

"I gotta tell you something, okay?"

He was clearly still drunk, but she was willing to take what she could get with his feelings.

"I did something bad. I knew I shouldn't have, but she kissed me first. I stopped her, but someone saw, and then I yelled at her. I didn't mean to yell at her."

He turned red with frustration at his own words. Bra sat back and watched him, mixed emotions filling her every nerve.

"Who?" She asked, knowing the answer already.

"Marron! Marron…that stupid Marron! I can't get away from her! I try to move on and she's there! I try to date and she calls me and then her dad goes and dies on her and I feel all bad and shit!"

He seemed to be overflowing with emotions. Bra didn't know how to react.

"I felt like…that coulda been my dad that died! He did die! Our dad's fuckin _died_ , Bra. And then they came back, thanks to the dragon balls, but Krillin is like…dead. He's gone. What if my dad never came back? What if I never even got to meet him in the first place? You were like…four years old when I first met him. I was so confused. Shit was cray, man. Like for reals. And then he just comes back like 'Oh, hey, son! Lemme break yer fuggin bike!'"

He seemed to go on forever, but Bra listened quietly, still shocked by his admission to kissing Marron recently. When he'd finished pouring out his soul, tears were rolling down his cheeks and his face was purple.

"Bra, I'm sorry. I don't know what's happening."

She sighed, "Well, you're drunk, hun."

He looked at her with wide eyes.

"Maybe, but I told you all of this for a reason. You had to know, right?"

She felt sad for him and took his hand.

"Why? Why would you put yourself through this to tell me? I mean…the thing with Marron…if you were feeling guilty, we weren't even official…I wasn't even talking to you…you probably felt lonely and that's my fault. It's okay. I'm not mad at you."

He swallowed hard and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I told you all of this because…despite anything and everything in my life, no matter how shitty or weird…you make everything worth fighting for."

She held her breath, not knowing how to respond.

"I love you, Bra. I _fucking_ love you."

"Goten…don't say that when you're drunk…"

"I mean it! I mean…it…"

Goten started to lean forward. Bra stood up and picked him up off of the floor without much effort. She laid him down on the bed and snuggled up beside him. Perhaps he did mean what he said, but she would have to hear it from him when he was sober. She felt closer to him in an odd way.

 _She was falling for him._

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**

Goten opened his eyes to a pitch-black room as silent as outer space. He could feel a tickle on his cheek from a fuzzy carpet, but he didn't recognize the slight hint of orange smell coming from it. As he breathed in the scent, a horrible, stabbing pain seared across his forehead and pounded against his skull. In a daze, he tried to sit up, but his body buckled in protest and dragged him back down.

"What…the hell…" He whispered, holding himself up weakly.

He reached out and felt around for something to grab ahold of for support. His fingers carelessly smacked into something cold. He withdrew his hand quickly, grabbing it with the other and cradling it.

"Shit!" He exclaimed.

Determined to figure out what was happening, he reached out for a second time and found the cold object again. He ran his fingers upwards and realized it was some kind of large piece of furniture. Using it for balance, he wobbled up, feeling the blackness spin as he attempted to steady himself.

A strange, numb sensation began to take hold as he felt around in the emptiness. Was this what it was like to be blind? The pitch blackness seemed odd. It couldn't possibly be this dark outside.

He took a cautious step and felt the pull of his cellphone in his pocket. He sighed, realizing he should have taken it out in the first place. He reached for the phone and excitedly pressed the side button, but the screen stayed black. It was completely dead.

"Dammit!"

Defeated and annoyed, he tip-toed across the floor eagerly, looking for a wall. When he found it, he felt around briefly for a light switch. The bare wall revealed a single switch just under his fingers, but it was already switched upwards.

"What the hell…"

Just then, the tiniest ray of sunlight began peeking through the left side of a dark curtain across the room. Had the sun just come up? He hurried back over to the window and grabbed the hidden, black curtain into his fist. He threw it to the side and revealed a large, green yard illuminated by the rising, orange sun.

The realization snapped into place. He was still at Mikio's house, but there was nobody left outside from the party. The yard was completely silent. He could see plenty of red solo cups and trash scattered about, but not one person was passed out in the grass or even talking outside. Was he the only one that spent the night? He tried hard to remember what happened.

He backed up and fell onto a large bed, rubbing his eyes. Suddenly, an intoxicating pair of blue eyes flashed into his memory and made his heart jump to a screeching halt.

"Bra!"

He spun around frantically, looking at the bed he remembered seeing her laying on the night before. She was gone. He'd suddenly remembered what his last words were before passing out and grabbed his mouth protectively. Had she left him there because of what he'd said? Was it too much? Who was he kidding, _of course_ it was! He'd ruined everything.

In a desperate panic, he got up from the bed and rushed to the door. The flung it open and ran into the hallway. He began his descent down the stairs with a few trips and stumbles. The house was totally silent. He could hear each step he took creaking below him. He ran his hand along the wall until he reached the living room. He blinked a few times and scanned the dimly lit room.

A phone charger was sitting next to the front door. He rushed towards it and tossed his phone on the conveyer belt-looking device. His battery charged instantly to full capacity and flickered on. He grabbed the phone and began searching through his texts and calls, which revealed nothing more than a goodnight and be safe text from Chichi. He grumbled angrily and turned to leave the house, but his phone began to vibrate with messages just as he took a step forward.

Help. Help. Help. Help.

There were about ten messages that simply read "help" from Bra's phone. He froze in place and tried to think of what to do. The phone had suddenly become heavy like a brick in his hands when he dropped it and continued staring forward into space. His mind raced to dark places. Was she kidnapped? Beaten? Raped, even? He began to panic. She's a saiyan, he told himself, and she could kill someone with her bare hands. He panicked further. What if she was drugged? He crouched down and picked up the phone, clumsily dialing her number, but a girly voice quickly began saying "Hey, this is Bra! Leave a message or whatever!" As the tone screeched into his ear begging for a voicemail, a quiet "No..." Escaped from his mouth. He felt a tug on his heart and ran outside, taking off once again into the sky.

He had to get to Capsule Corp and figure this out. How could a night of fun turn out so badly? Where the hell was everyone?

He arrived quickly at the Brief household and flung open the front door. Videl was crying in the corner and Chichi was hysterical with Bulma.

"Mom?" Goten shouted.

Chichi gasped and stared at Goten as though he was a ghost. She dropped a handkerchief and ran towards him like a lightning bolt. She threw her arms around his neck and cried.

"Goten! You're here, you're alive!" She squealed into his shirt.

"What? Mom…where's…where's dad?" He looked around the room in a panic, "Where's Gohan?"

Videl looked up and cried harder, squeezing onto Bulma's arm.

He scanned from the kitchen to the living room in horror to find Marron sitting on the couch, staring out the window. He pushed Chichi away gently and turned to Marron in fury.

"You were there last night! What happened?"

He stomped to her and grabbed her arm. Marron pulled away from him angrily and frowned.

"What happened, Marron? Tell me! Tell me where she is!"

"Goten, get a hold of yourself! Trunks took me home early, shortly after you and Bra "disappeared"! I didn't see anything!"

He threw his fist to his side and looked up at the ceiling.

"So, where did all of the people at the party go? I woke up this morning and it was a ghost house!"

His saiyan anger was rising. Marron bit her lip and clenched the couch beneath her fists.

"They all left early! Cops busted up the place for loud music. I saw your friend Mikio talking to them when we were leaving, but I never saw Bra. I woke up here this morning and everything was all over the place and everyone was gone!"

Goten stared at her blankly and began looking around more carefully. The furniture was destroyed, broken into pieces. Shards of glass decorated the hardwood floors with their sharp corners askew. There were holes in the wall and a door in the hallway was hanging on hinges.

"How could this have happened?" Bulma sniffed loudly, "I think that…we were drugged or something! The security cameras…everything…it was all destroyed! How could they overpower both Goku and Vegeta?"

The only item in the house that wasn't broken appeared to be the couch that Marron was curled up on. He looked around it, but couldn't see any clues as to what happened. He decided that he'd check around the house, just to be sure the coast was clear.

When he stepped into his temporary room at Capsule Corp, his things were tossed about and the blankets were on the floor. He shivered and closed the door, too freaked out to investigate.

He moved to each room, looking for anything that could explain what happened. It was only then that he found a trail of blood leading down the hall and out to the back deck. The same screened in deck that he'd kissed Marron on.

He took a step onto the deck and to his horror, the blood trail ended at a window. The window's screen was bashed through and blood stained every fiber. He backed away feeling sick and held his stomach. He leaned against the wall and coughed once before falling to the floor, inches from the blood trail.

"Bra…God, where are you?" Goten whispered in horror.

He thought of his family, of their family...of her. The only thing that he'd wanted in so long was the blue-haired, saiyan girl he'd grown up knowing. So much time wasted, he thought. He decided that he'd have to be the one to save them. It was all up to him now.

Goten re-entered the house and stood quietly looking out of the kitchen window. He listened to Videl, Chichi and Marron sob and grabbed his stomach. He felt his soul crying out. Something inside of his heart was telling him where to go, but he didn't know how to follow it. His wrists began to ache. He peered down at them and rubbed them gently, but the pain didn't go away. He grumbled and slammed his hands down on the sink, startling the three women.

"Goten, what was that for?" Chichi asked tearfully.

"I'm going to find them. I can't just sit here…" Goten snapped, storming towards the door.

He blasted off towards Mikio's house to see if he could find any trace of where everyone seemed to have disappeared to. It was only logical. Something had to be left there at the scene of the crime that would give him a clue as to where they were holding Bra and his family. There was no way they could keep a bunch of saiyans quiet for too long.

As he flew, he pictured the gruesome scene inside of Bulma's house on the back deck. He hopped his mother hadn't seen it. He hated the sight of blood, let alone the blood of what he thought could be any of the saiyans he called family. It was probably another thing to add to the list of reasons why Goten never became the world-class surgeon he'd dreamed of becoming.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Goten stopped midair and turned to see who was calling for him. Marron was blasting towards him at full speed. Her expression had changed from sadness to anger.

"What are you doing? You fly too slow…you're gonna slow me down!" Goten growled.

"I can't just sit there and wait for you to come back, because if you don't…well I don't know what I'd do."

"Are you serious right now?"

"I'm seriously concerned that your father and Trunks, along with the rest of our family, has disappeared into thin air."

Goten stared at her and rolled his eyes.

"I don't know what you think you can do to help. You can't even fight…If something breaks out, you gotta go and protect mom and Bulma. You can't help me if it comes to that."

Marron looked hurt by his brash comments and shrugged weakly.

"I know that..."

Goten turned to continue his flight, but Marron piped up with one more addition.

"Goten?"

"What, Marron? We gotta go!"

"It's just…I didn't sleep with Trunks. I haven't. It's not like that…right now."

"Okay? Why would you even say that right now?"

"I just wanted to clear that up. You're…my first and only…if you know what I mean."

Goten grumbled and continued flying. He felt satisfied knowing the truth, but couldn't bring himself to lie to her about Bra. She probably already assumed. It was best left alone. Why she'd decided to bring it up in that moment had him completely baffled anyway.

Marron knew Goten, or at least the person that he had been for his entire life. She could obviously see that he was changing into a different person. It wasn't that he was turning into a bad person, but another side of him was indeed surfacing. He was wounded so deeply inside by so many things that it was as though he thought everyone was out to get him. He began grappling with the idea that it was actually his fault that his family was taken.

When they arrived outside of Mikio's house, Goten landed lightly on the pavement. Marron crashed down beside him.

"God! Did you forget how to land?"

"Yeah. Sorta."

Goten scoffed.

"I'll go in. You just stay here until I give you the all clear. Remember…if shit gets bad, you run. You run and you tell Bulma and my mom to hide. They'll be your responsibility."

Marron nodded and walked over to a tree to lean against innocently. He couldn't help but sigh at her.

Goten walked forward slowly and stopped on the sidewalk up to the porch. He stared at the white siding and decided he should check for any signs of life before going inside. It wasn't easy, especially checking for normal human ki, but he was trained in the art of sensing ki. Gohan made sure of that.

"What are you doing?" Marron asked from her tree.

"Shh! I'm trying to concentrate."

He closed his eyes and relaxed his muscles. He let his hands fall to his sides and took in a deep breath of air. He lit up with the aura of his own energy and tried to send it outwards, into the yard. He felt around in the dark space, seeing the energy of nature and technology as colors amidst a sea of nothingness. They twisted and turned differently than the energy of a person. It was actually a beautiful sight and he felt his body's tension loosen ever so slightly.

He sent his energy into the house and pushed it through each room. He began to concentrate even harder. He was getting frustrated. There was simply no sign of life ever being there, let alone anyone left. It was as though the place was wiped clean of any evidence.

Just as he was about to give up hope, a jolt of energy surfaced through all of the energy waves and appeared red in color, something indicative of someone who had been gravely injured. He couldn't tell who it belonged to, but he ran forward in its direction without hesitation.

"Bra!"

He yelled as he ran as fast as his feet could take him. He entered the woods behind the house and looked frantically around. Inside of his mind, he could see the energy flicker, as though it was dying. He didn't have very much time to find whoever it was. His wrists suddenly burned again, only this time they were hotter and more painful. He felt like he could actually see welts beginning to appear around his pale wrists. Panic was setting in.

"Bra!"

He took off towards the feeling of pain. It was a strange sensation, one he could only remember feeling when he was about to lose his father for the first time after meeting him. He didn't want to be abandoned again. He didn't want to lose her, too.

"Bra!"

He called again, panicked and out of breath. His eyes searched every corner.

"Help…me!"

He heard a small voice call from nearby. It wasn't Bra's voice.

"Mi…Mikio?" Goten yelled back in surprise.

He heard a rustle of some leaves and ran towards them. There, his high school friend Mikio was on his back and clearly near death. Goten rushed forward and picked his head up from the dirt.

"What happened? God…we need to get you to the hospital!"

Mikio laughed at Goten's urgency.

"I'll be okay. I'll live. I'm like you, Goten. I can…make it…"

His eyes glazed and he lost consciousness. What did he mean "like you"?

"Mikio!"

Goten began to scoop him up into his arms when Marron came running through the leaves.

"Goten! Is he okay? Oh, God!"

He was covered in blood and the sight horrified them both.

"It's okay, he's alive…we have to get him to a hospital. I'm going."

He kicked off of the ground and blasted off towards the city, causing Marron to fall backwards from his energy.

"Oh…kay…" She whispered as she watched his silhouette disappear into nothing.

Alone and afraid, Marron looked around the dark woods nervously. She turned towards the house and decided to have a look without Goten. She was confident that she could defend herself if she really needed to. She thought of her father and felt sick inside. She wished that he was still here to protect her and her mother. She felt a rush of grief coming, like a wave in the ocean about to hit the side of a cliff, and stifled the feeling. Now was no time for another stage of her grief to surface, she thought. It was time to help their friends find a way home.

She started crunching her way through the woods and back to the house. The back deck was covered in beer and solo cups from the party, as though everyone was still passed out inside and hadn't cleaned up yet. The house being empty was simply unnerving. She slid the unlocked glass door open and walked inside, carefully shutting the door behind her as if someone might hear her. She tip-toed past the kitchen and into the living room and sat down on the black, leather sofa. She envisioned what she saw that night with Goten and Bra sitting together and cuddling. She felt a jealous pang hit her like a ton of bricks. Why did he choose Bra over her? Why was their relationship such a complete and utter failure?

She sighed. Maybe they were just not meant to be.

In her self-pity, she quickly realized the most important fact in all of this. She hadn't thought about Trunks since they left Capsule Corp. Did she even really have feelings for him? It felt like he was just another body that they had to rescue, not that he was any more important than Goku or any of the other saiyans that had been taken. She leaned forward and put her face in her hands. Was it just appealing to date such a rich and powerful man? Was it just nice to have constant attention after being ignored by Goten for so long? Tears started to stream down her face.

She plopped back against the back of the couch and sunk into the plush leather. That's when she noticed a glass still partially full on the table. It had been Bra's drink the night before. She picked it up and looked into the green liquid, still fizzing from the bottom.

"That's odd…" she whispered to herself as she examined the contents carefully.

She decided it was a good idea to take the drink back to Bulma. Perhaps they could figure out if it was really a drug or something else. She rose from the couch and clutched the cup tightly. This could be their ticket to some answers.

Mikio's face flashed across Marron's recent memories and she heard his last words in her head.

"I'm like you, Goten."

She frowned and considered the possibilities. There was no way that he was a saiyan, too. That was just silly. She pushed the idea out of her mind and started out the front door. She had to get to the bottom of this and figure out where everyone was, if not for any other reason but to decide how she really felt about Trunks and if she could finally, once and for all, get over Goten.

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

The air smelled of fresh rain as a cool breeze swept across her face. She opened her eyes to a tall man in front of her holding out his arms, inviting her in. His smile was warm like the sun. She could feel his touch on her arm and could smell his wonderful scent when he pulled her close to his strong chest. She laughed and he kissed the top of her head, running his fingers through her silky, blue hair. She felt so happy and relieved when she looked up and saw his lips mouth the words, "I love you." Her heart was about to burst with joy. She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

His smile ceased and turned to a sad frown. He began to move away, further and further into an endless darkness that engulfed him. She saw tears run down his cheeks and he reached for her, but she couldn't reach back for him. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't breathe.

"Goten!" Bra screamed loudly as she woke from a deep sleep.

She jolted forward, but her arms were chained above her head and her efforts to struggle seemed futile.

"What the hell?"

She gained her footing and looked up at the chains.

"What kind of sick…"

She trailed off when she saw her brother across from her. He was also chained, but limp and on his knees, held up by his arms. She began to panic and looked frantically around the room. It was dark, but light from the window hinted at an early morning sun just outside the walls. Cement blocks stained from time surrounded her and led her eyes down to a filthy floor lined with old and beaten stones. She let out a horrified gasp when she saw Pan, Caulifla, Cabba, Gohan, Vegeta and Goku all chained the same way that she was. There was a small man who resembled Vegeta in the corner as well, but she didn't recognize him. Her eyes returned to her tattered brother.

"Trunks!" She called out to him, but there was no movement or response from anyone else in the room.

His clothes appeared to be torn and bloody, as though he'd put up a real fight. Anxiety filled her lungs as she thrashed about and pulled on her metal prison. Her clothes were also tattered and her wrists were bloody from the ancient looking cuffs around them.

"What do you want?" She screamed to the old, wooden door at the opposite side of the room, "Let us go! We will kill you!"

Just then, the door opened. A large man with a black cloth over his head walked in, followed by a man in a wheelchair with no legs. The large man began to wake everyone up by smacking them hard across the face, each time appearing to get more aggressive. The man in the wheelchair laughed as they awoke angrily, unable to fight back. Bra watched the large man reach Vegeta and punch him straight on in the face. His eyes flew open and flickered blue.

"What in the hell? Lay another filthy hand on me and you'll regret you were ever born!"

Vegeta angrily spit in the man's face and snapped into his super saiyan blue form, thrashing about just as Bra had done. His efforts were futile. The chains shocked him, sending electricity pulsating through his body. He shouted out in pain. Bra screamed. After moments, Vegeta's hair returned to black as his body sizzled and flopped forward lifelessly.

Trunks looked at Bra and coughed weakly with one eye swollen shut. He really did appear to have been the only one that truly put up a fight. Perhaps he was the only one conscious when it happened.

"What happened?" Bra mouthed silently to her brother.

He shook his head hopelessly. They both looked back at Vegeta, but Trunks noticed the small man in the back and raised his head. He squinted and gasped.

"Uncle Tarble?"

The small man looked up, wincing painfully from his waking slap.

"Where…where am I? Where is my wife? Where is Gure? What have you done with her?"

The man in the wheelchair laughed loudly as the large man returned to his side.

"I have disposed of that…creature…that accompanied you to my doorstep, Tarble. She did not have any use to our grand plan, nor was she an acceptable wife for a saiyan such as yourself. What a pity. Your father should have killed you when he had the chance instead of hiding you away."

Tarble's eyes welled with tears, but seeing Vegeta's still sizzling body appeared to be enough to keep him grounded. He slumped down, pulling against his chains with tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You…you bastard!" Gohan shouted, obviously angered by the man in the wheelchair's heartlessness.

Vegeta looked up weakly and growled, "Tell us what you want! Leave my brother out of this and tell me. I am the prince of all saiyans! I will kill you with my bare hands!"

Bra realized that the small man was in fact the younger brother to her father that had been mentioned from time to time. She felt sick inside. If they'd killed her aunt, they could have killed her mother and family as well.

The feeble old man cleared his throat.

"Prince Vegeta, your time to reign has long passed. I am Oca. King Oca of the new saiyan race and your true savior. Welcome to my home."

Vegeta's eyes grew large. The anger visibly boiled within him.

"Oca, you pathetic idiot! You were thought dead! What business do you think that you have taking our royal name for yourself?"

Oca smiled deviously, "Oh, Vegeta…but it was your father who stole the royal title from me, not me from him. You have no idea about your pitiful reign's history. Perhaps Frieza did us a favor when he wiped out Planet Vegeta."

Vegeta's eyes burned with rage.

"Vegeta, calm down! He's trying to get you angry." Goku said softly, clearly afraid that Vegeta was going to cave the ceiling in if he pulled on his chains any harder.

Oca sighed, "Kakarot…otherwise known as the great Goku, son of Bardock…what pride Bardock would have had in you if he could have seen the magnificent warrior that you became. Unfortunately, you never lived up to the potential of a true elite saiyan warrior. In truth, as pure saiyans, the three of you disgust me…defending your pitiful planets just because you mated with the inhabitants and created these interesting…abominations."

"You have no right!" Tarble shouted bravely, standing up straight as best as he could.

"I hear that there are saiyans on Earth from another universe…universe six, yes? They're so different from our own kind that I couldn't seem to locate them…It's interesting…perhaps once we destroy you pathetic fools I shall travel to universe six and eradicate their planet as well."

The man smiled deviously. He turned his eyes towards Goku again. Gohan and Trunks tensed for a fight. Bra looked anxiously at Pan with tears in her eyes. Pan still hadn't woken up.

While staring at Gohan and Goku, Oca looked around, confused for a moment. He turned his head towards his guard.

"Lan, there should be another here. Kakarot has two boys. Where is the tall, stupid one?"

Bra's desperate eyes shot angrily to Oca.

"Oh, so you belong to _Goten_? I wondered. That's a good thought, keeping your saiyan blood alive by mixing two half breeds. I was a little worried at first when we got her test results. It might not have worked otherwise…this explains everything. She might just be the key."

Vegeta's mouth fell open before he scoffed angrily. Goku squinted, unsure of what to think.

"Well, no worries. We'll find that Goten boy. Anyway, I suppose you're all wondering what you're doing here…I'll tell you."

He pushed a small knob on his wheelchair forward and moved to the middle of the dungeon-like room, revealing to them all that he actually had a saiyan tail tucked around his waist.

"I…am a true saiyan. I have destroyed planets, I have destroyed entire races of people…I am the ultimate warrior. Or I was, until one of you cut off my legs and crippled my strength. I have since become weak and unable to care for myself. It's pathetic really."

Tarble began to tremble, revealing that it had been him who took the legs from another saiyan.

"It was many years ago, Tarble. Perhaps your greatest accomplishment before you became a recluse and let your strength dwindle to nothing."

He turned the chair around to face Pan, "But then I found your planet and your…children. I did not realize that we could mate with other species and create such powerful offspring. I also never considered it an option, as it is rather disgusting."

Pan began to wake slowly. She smiled through the blood dried on her face.

"We're stronger than you could ever hope to be no matter how much saiyan blood runs through our veins…I could snap you in half…"

"I am aware that you are a quarter-blood. This is interesting, which is why you are all here. I hope to create a super race…one that would destroy the old saiyan ways and replace them with a new version of warriors. The experiment is almost complete…I will control this race and soon take my place as rightful king. They will worship me and carry out any command that I wish. I will find favor and strike fear into the hearts of the powerful warriors from our multiple universes...yes, even universe 6. It will be perfect. I could kill you at any moment, but first, I must finish my experiments with your DNA. Directly from you will come a new and powerful race that you can't even imagine."

Everyone gasped, realizing the horrifying truth. Each of them had blood stains on their arms where he'd taken a sample.

He turned his chair and began to exit the room.

"We'll find Goten Son. Until then, please make yourselves…comfortable. I will return soon to take my first experiment in."

Oca and Lan left the room, leaving the seven saiyans alone in the dungeon once more.

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Back at Capsule Corp, Bulma began to test the drink that Marron brought back. She was only in her lab for a half hour before coming out with a very disturbed look on her face.

"I think…I think it's a type of poison…" Bulma said grimly, "I believe that it only effects your cognitive awareness. In other words, it only effects your ability to remember what's going on. It seems like it's from another planet. Some type of plant material is the main ingredient."

She leaned against the countertop in the kitchen and sighed.

"I'm worried. And I'm scared. If this stuff could knock out Goku and Vegeta…and allow someone to take them…and my kids…" Bulma began to tear up again.

Chichi looked up with an irritated frown, "Bulma! You're supposed to keep a level head! Our husbands have faced some of the most horrific and powerful opponents…none of which could have been powerful enough to subdue all of those saiyans at once. There has to be a loop-hole here that we aren't seeing…"

Bulma scoffed, "You think I'm supposed to keep it together for you? They have my husband and my children!"

Chichi stood up from the table, "They have my husband, child and grandchild!"

They crossed their arms and stomped to separate rooms. Videl leaned on the table and placed her head in her hands.

"I don't understand…I just want everyone to be okay. To think that Goku and Caulifla just came back after all these years…what if this is it? What if we never see them again? And…my Pan…my Gohan…"

Videl began to sob hysterically, so Marron scooted over to her and hugged her tightly.

"It's okay. If anyone can find them, Goten can."

Marron marveled at the temperament of her own words. So calm for such a flustered mind, she thought. Just then, the door opened and Goten stepped through.

"Oh, my dear God!" Videl pointed in horror at the blood covering Goten's hands and shirt.

He waved his hands around, "No, no! I'm fine! It's not mine!"

He realized she must have thought that he was in a fight when she looked even more worried.

"No! I mean I found my friend all beat up and took him to the hospital! I didn't hurt anyone!"

She relaxed and let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Your mom is a wreck. Her and Bulma just had a fight." Marron said calmly.

Goten frowned, "Now of all times?"

He rolled his eyes and sat at the table, two seats away from Marron.

"So…before I left the hospital, Mikio said this huge guy with a black mask attacked him. He said everyone started dropping on the floor, passing out. There was this big vibration and what Mikio thought was a spaceship landed in the yard. The big guy came in and took Bra first, because she was… hanging onto the railing trying to run down the stairs."

Goten inhaled slowly and tried to keep going. Marron stared at him sadly.

"Trunks had already left, so he must've been taken from here…that explains the blood in the back room." Goten continued.

Marron looked confused.

"Blood?"

Goten sighed, "Yeah…don't go back out on that deck for now."

Marron's eyes got huge, but she put on a brave face and kept prying for answers.

"So what do you think Mikio meant by 'I'm like you'?"

He looked up at the ceiling and leaned back in his chair, placing his arms crossed behind his head.

"I think…I think he meant he's a saiyan. At least partly. I'd never felt it before, the energy that I got from him was way stronger than human energy. He should've been dead. I don't think I'd have found him out there if he was a human…"

Videl rose her head and looked stunned, "Another saiyan? Here?"

"I knew he was adopted, so maybe it was a similar situation to my dad. You know, finding him abandoned somewhere? I don't really know…his age doesn't line up for that kind of origin story, I suppose. I really have no clue." Goten continued, seemingly unfazed by his own words. "He said he hid in the closet until they found him, beat him to a pulp and left him. I guess they only had a target out for our families."

Marron gulped and looked at her intertwined fingers.

"I'm sorry to poke the bear, but if Bra, Trunks and Gohan were taken…why weren't you?"

He leaned forward and started tapping his fingers on his leg impatiently.

"I was passed out from drinking too much already. They couldn't sense that I was even there because I was already unconscious upstairs. I know I fell off of the bed at some point that night, so maybe that was when they landed. I think I hit my head pretty hard…maybe they even thought that I was dead…I don't know."

Just as all hope seemed lost, Goten's cell phone started to ring. He pulled out his phone and answered without reading the number. His face lit up with concern.

"Who is it?" Marron asked, but Goten swished his hand at her and got up from the table.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. Videl rubbed her back gently.

"Yeah, we're all okay, but what about you?...Oh…Oh?"

Goten paced around, rubbing his wrist and looking frazzled. When he hung up the phone, he immediately started for the front door without saying anything.

"Goten! What happened?"

Marron was getting frustrated with his lack of communication, though that wasn't anything knew for Goten.

"It was Mikio. He said some phone number called him and hung up as soon as he answered. He plugged his phone into his laptop and tracked it to some old warehouse in the city. I'm gonna go check it out...it could be Bra or Trunks."

Bulma emerged from the hallway just as he was explaining and quickly chimed in, "How the hell does he know that if he's in the hospital?"

Goten shrugged impatiently.

Bulma looked confused, "How could he track a device…"

Goten smiled, "He's a total computer genius. He can track anything. Besides, I think he really is at least part saiyan. It explains a lot about our childhood anyway..."

Bulma practically fell to the floor with shock.

"What? Another saiyan? Why didn't they take him, too? Why is it always our family caught up in these messes?"

Goten shrugged, "I don't know. He's probably not trained, either…maybe they couldn't even tell."

"Well, are you going to this warehouse?" Bulma asked Goten excitedly.

Goten nodded, "Yes. I'm going. And you're not!"

He turned and pointed at Marron. She had already been starting to stand up, so she slowly lowered herself back down into her chair and sulked.

"Then take this watch, would you? If something happens…God forbid…we'll know exactly where you are. You can program that warehouse location in, too…"

Bulma strapped the watch onto Goten's wrist.

"Be careful, Goten. Bring them back to us…" Videl said softly from behind them.

He walked over to Videl and patted her head with a smile, "Have I ever let you down, sis?"

She laughed, thinking of her memories of Goten when he was just a little boy.

He hugged Bulma, but she pushed him away quickly and turned to call down the hallway.

"Chichi! Get out here and say goodbye to your son!"

Chichi flung her door open and sniffled.

"Oh, Goten…please bring them back to me!" She threw herself into his arms and held on tightly.

"Mom…it'll be okay."

He waved and headed for the front lawn. He kicked off and torpedoed into the sky, ready for anything.

He rippled through the clouds with determination. His fancy watch from Bulma beeped when he hit the location he was seeking. He stopped and looked around, only seeing one abandoned warehouse in the vicinity. He dropped a few feet to hover and observe. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but he could certainly sense someone powerful nearby. It was overwhelming.

"That's not you, dad…is it?" Goten whispered to himself nervously.

He started to worry about his father, realizing that the last time he saw him was less than pleasant. If he'd only seen the bigger picture back then, maybe he wouldn't have been so quick to dismiss him. Maybe Bra was right about Goku.

He landed on top of the roof and was very careful to hide his own power level. He figured that the people that had the saiyans locked up were able to read ki as well. He tip-toed across the roof and found a door that was locked with a padlock.

"Ha…okay…" Goten chuckled, examining it.

He held the padlock in his left hand and chopped it with his right, snapping it in half like a twig. He set the broken lock aside gently and opened the old door slowly. He stepped inside and looked around, feeling as though he could be attacked at any minute. He'd never felt more on edge in his life.

In front of him, a dark, rusty staircase led down into darkness. He felt like he was entering a medieval cave. With every step into the darkness, he felt the stone beneath him threatening to give way. It had clearly not been stepped on in a long time. A rat crawled across his feet, giving him a cold chill down his spine and causing him to squirm down several steps without thinking. That's when he felt it.

A very high ki level was approaching him, and fast. He looked around in the darkness but figured that flying up would be useless and expose him, so he continued to edge his way down practically flat against the wall.

"Who's there?" A voice called from afar, but Goten held his breath.

The footsteps started coming closer, and Goten was ready to attack. He tensed and moved into position, but just before he lunged, another voice called out.

"What are you doing? Master wants us to start with experiment one now. Something about a female saiyan with blue hair. Imagine, a saiyan with blue hair…crazy half-breeds."

The two surly voices laughed together and began to leave, but Goten's anger was beyond controllable. He felt his energy spike and the footsteps stopped again.

"Did you feel that?" A low voice asked.

There was a slight pause before a raspy voice answered, "I felt it. Someone is here."

Goten couldn't wait any longer and powered up for the attack.

He shot forward down the stairs and found the two men instantly. He began punching them with all of his fury and pushing his way forward. The men were holding their ground, clearly not human fighters.

"Calm down boy, you'll use all of your strength up and we won't be able to play!" The raspy voice said with a laugh, but Goten didn't let up.

His super saiyan form glowed like fire and lit the entire hall. The stairs ended in a large room, clearly underground as there were no windows. The floors cracked under the fight and the walls shook with echoes.

"I said…that's enough!" The raspy voice powered up and knocked Goten backwards against the wall.

"You've been a bad boy!" The lower of the two voices said playfully, "Master will have fun experimenting on you!"

The men were both wearing black cloaks and had muscles on top of muscles on top of muscles. Goten was beginning to wish he would have waited for them to leave. He lunged forward for another attack, but something from behind swooped down and hit him on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.

When he awoke sometime later, his head was spinning. Strange voices blurred together in Goten's ears. He struggled to open his eyes, but they kept closing again. The fight to see his surroundings seemed just as exhausting as the physical altercations had been moments earlier. He tried to move, but he could feel the cold stone below him and took comfort in the sleepy feeling. It felt so good to sleep, he thought as his head began to pound in agony.

After a while, he could hear the voices more clearly as they were laughing and talking about what they were going to do to him. They contemplated chopping off his limbs so that he could feel the pain that his "friend" inflicted upon someone named Oca. He wondered who that person might be and cringed at the thought of someone chopping off a limb. He even briefly considered if an arm or a leg would be a more horrible loss, deciding that if he had a choice, he would rather lose his legs. At least he could still fly, though he would miss the height that he always had over everyone else. His tired mind continued to wander until he came to a memory from the party that had gone awry.

Bra was standing in front of him in her heels in an outfit to die for. She flipped her hair away from her face and smiled. He loved that smile. He reached out for her and she came close, nuzzling against his chest. She smelled like candy and fruit mixed together into a mysterious basket of yummy scents. He leaned down to kiss her pale face, but she pulled away and poked him on the tip of his nose.

"Makeup!"

She smiled and kissed her finger before placing it on his lips. He treasured moments like those with her. He wanted to have more moments of joy with that amazing woman. He didn't have time to lay there and sleep while some crazy people chopped him up like mincemeat.

A cold, morbid chill ran down his back and all the way down to his toes as he snapped out of his daydream and opened his eyes. He heard the raspy voice croak, "Say, do you think he's claimed the blue-haired girl yet? She got pretty upset when we talked of killing him in front of her."

The other voice coughed out an evil laugh, "I doubt that he has the balls to claim a woman. Of course, they say it is involuntary who you mark as your mate. But that's a purebred saiyan…this kid is nothing more than an abomination, just like the girl, which is why we must destroy him and his other…disgusting counterparts. Who knows if that's actually what's going on there. We should get back and get started…She's just about ripped her hands off with those cuffs"

The men laughed maniacally.

Panicked, Goten began to rise slowly. The men were both seated on the floor facing away from him trying to recover from his furious outburst. A third man was now standing aside, not speaking, but looking in the other direction. His face was covered as well, but his body was lean and less bulky than the other two guards. His physique distinctly reminded Goten of super Buu, a thought that covered Goten's arms in goose bumps at the very instant he realized the similarities.

His mind raced as the men got up from the floor and began to walk towards him, still talking casually. The bite…it's what they meant. When he bit Bra that night at the club, it was his saiyan nature "claiming" her. It must be why Bulma always wore neck scarfs when she first married Vegeta, he thought. He remembered how Trunks used to make fun of them, saying she never took them off and was obsessed with them. Then he thought of his own mother and fighting back the urge to reel at the idea, he remembered her wardrobe. Constant turtle neck dresses could hide her secret, as well. It made sense.

He tried to move again, but the feeling of cool stone against his cheek continued to pull him in like a magnet. He just couldn't unstick his beaten body from the desperate situation that he was in.

The dark room was brooding and disturbing the more that Goten thought of dying there on the floor. He started to wiggle his fingers and soon was able to make a fist. Yes, he thought, keep trying. He started to move his arm, straining as he went, until it happened. His arm flew from its frozen state and his hand landed flat down onto the hard surface of the floor.

"He's awake already!" The grisly, raspy voice growled.

Goten heard the footsteps stop, but he knew that they would strike at any second to gain the upper hand. He pushed himself up onto his waist and yelled in anger as he saw the guards begin to move in slow motion towards him. This battle was his to win. He had to find the strength.

Goten gave a huge thrust upwards and fell back, bursting into super saiyan flames as he roared in anger. The men stopped running, startled by his colossal jump in strength.

"I thought you said that Gohan was the stronger brother…this one's power is substantial!" The lower voice called out.

The raspy voice didn't answer, they only stood there in fear while guard number three continued to hold his post against the wall.

Goten yelled angrily, "I am not going to let you destroy my family!"

He began to power up for a massive energy blast. His skin glowed like fire and his body tensed as he lowered his head and began to power up. His aura lit the entire room so bright that the guards had to shield their hidden eyes. There was nowhere in the circular stone room to run but back up the staircase that Goten was standing in front of.

"You won't be able to stop us!" One guard shouted, pointing angrily at Goten.

Goten laughed as the feeling of energy flowing through his body transferred to his hands. In moments, he began to recite his Kame-hame-ha and released the anger flushing through his body. The room filled with white lights and began to shake uncontrollably. It went up in flames like a match and shook the ground with hastened fury. Goten continued screaming as the room began to fall, rock by rock, on top of the two guards. Before Goten could even blink, he saw the third man slip from the room and through a secret door in the back of the room.

"You won't get away from me!" Goten called after him, but the man was gone.

He landed inches from the impact of his blast as the ground continued to shake. He pulled together all of his strength and blasted again, aiming directly for the door. The rocks disintegrated under his massive power. He forced his way forward as his blast continued to destroy. He turned to the entire exit and realized that it had collapsed from his energy. He laughed under his breath, thinking to himself that he would just have to blast a way out again.

He smiled a devious smirk as he felt the ground below him crack and pop as he walked over the debris on top of the now dead guards. Nothing could stop him now. An angry saiyan is a destructive saiyan, and he felt more powerful than he'd ever been.

He let his body return to normal state as he snuck through the narrow hallway. The ceiling was still shaky with small rocks hitting his head from the enormity of his previous blows. Though the archaic hallway was dimly lit with torches, again giving the feeling that they had teleported back in time, he couldn't see very well past each flame.

He reached into his pocket for his phone light, but considered the chances that it could make him more discoverable and turned it off again. He stopped for a moment to listen carefully to the silence all around him. It seemed like he was the only person there in that cold, desolate hallway. The distant sound of frequent cave dripping echoed throughout on top of the soft sound of fire burning within the small gauntlets that lined the stone walls. He began to walk again, cautiously muting his every step with a roll of the heel.

As he reached the end of the hallway, another wooden door appeared before him. He looked back, as though checking for a follower, but confidently assumed that no one would be following him after the massive explosion in the round room.

When he reached for the old, rusty door knob, his mind was clear of worries about what might lay just beyond the stone fortress. He was fearless and ready, turning the knob carefully to avoid being heard. When he cracked open the door, quickly and noisily, a blinding white light caught him off guard. He shielded his eyes, but kept pushing forward.

It seemed as though he'd found himself in a laboratory of some kind. It was sterile and lit with bright, fluorescent lights above. The instruments on the blank, white wall were disturbing in nature to Goten. He saw not just surgical instruments like knives and scissors, but what appeared to be a large rib spreader caught his eye immediately. He rushed to the counter, looking over the instruments carefully for something he could take along with him for extra protection.

The small saws and pointy metal objects worried him on an unconscious level. He touched them and felt their cold, hard surfaces come to a pointy tip. His eyes were lit up with morbid wonder. These tools were terrifying. There was no way he could willingly cut into an innocent person's flesh with them. More reasons were piling up to justify his career change.

He grabbed a small scalpel, capable of a good puncture wound, and stuck it into his back pocket after dusting off some debris from his clothes. He regretted at that moment for wearing semi-skinny jeans…there was only just enough room to hide such a sharp object without stabbing himself.

He turned to find a door, but it seemed as though there was none. Perhaps the hallway was the only way in from the destroyed circular room and staircase. A small amount of panic flooded over him.

"Where are you guys…?" He whispered to himself.

He continued to circle the room, looking for something, anything, to tell him where to go. His sense of direction was never great, but he was starting to feel as though he was in the wrong place.

Disappointed, he decided to see if he missed a turn in the hallway. He quickly spun around to leave and knocked a framed picture of various insect-like creatures and their anatomy off of the wall. He froze momentarily, afraid that someone may have heard, but noticed that a hole the size of a fist was hidden behind the picture's place on the wall. He rushed over to it and peered through, hoping to get some answers.

A dark room again lit by fire torches and lined in stone was before him. Inside, helpless victims hung from their wrists, strung up like meat. They'd been beaten badly and were all gravely injured. His eyes first saw Vegeta and a man that Goten remembered to be named Tarble tied together and hung on the same chain. An emblem of some kind hung from their necks. It looked to be a type of spear in red with small markings. They also both bore crowns on top of their heads with blood smeared onto the front.

He then saw Goku and Gohan tied next to Pan, all unconscious and bleeding badly, especially from their wrists. Gohan's eye was swollen shut and Pan's clothes were partially ripped. Goten closed his eyes in pain and mentally prepared to blast his way into the ancient prison room at that moment. However, his eyes traveled further first. What he saw next threw his mind into a complete and total state of rage.

Her body was beaten and clothes ripped, barely covering her. She hung facing Goten, with a badly beaten Trunks behind her facing the other direction. Her body was lifeless and still, but her eyes drifted about slowly. Goten could tell that they'd given her some type of drug.

Her mouth hung open as though she'd just been surprised, causing her face to look long and horrified. Her wrists were bleeding profusely from the chains and she was just short enough that only the tips of her bare toes touched the ground. He could even see her red nail polish glistening in the dim light of the fires.

He looked down at his own wrists and back to hers. Was the tingling pain sensation he was feeling all day linked to her hand cuffs?

He backed away from the hole and began to feel as though he could no longer control himself. He rose his power level again, preparing to blow through the stark, white wall. As he assumed his position, a door clanked from inside the room. He quickly shot his power level down and returned to the hole to observe the unknown person move about the stone room.

A stealthy, cloaked man slid around the room checking everyone's pulse. The robe he wore dragged behind him as he quickly moved from saiyan to saiyan, checking their pulse at their wrist and writing a brief note on a notepad with a fancy pen. He continued until he reached Bra, who began to seize as soon as he touched her skin.

"Oca! We're losing this one!" The man called towards the open doorway. "I need to take her now!"

The man began undoing her bulky handcuffs and let her fall to the floor, surely breaking at least one bone in the process. Goten watched, petrified, as the man simply took notes instead of helping her. She shook violently and began to foam at the mouth.

"What the hell are you doing? Save her!" Trunks pleaded through his swollen face, tears streaming down his cheeks and veins apparent on his neck.

Vegeta watched on through wide open eyes, unable to speak or move. It looked like his jaw might be broken. A sad mumble escaped from his tortured lips and tears welled in his eyes. Goten had never seen Vegeta more helpless.

Bra stopped seizing after a few long and painful moments. She laid there motionless and barely breathing as the man finished taking his notes.

"Okay, I'm coming!" The man called again to the dark doorway.

This time a legless man entered the room in a wheelchair, slowly approaching and smiling as he went. He looked around at the hanging bodies, all terrified from the event that had just occurred, and clapped his hands together, startling the onlookers.

He seemed delighted at the sight of Bra and chirped, "Well, one more dose will probably kill her at this point. Looks like we'll have to move on to the next girl…Pan, isn't it?

He turned and pointed to Pan, who began to cry and shake against her father's back. Gohan shouted a slurred phrase, probably intending to sound angry, but it wasn't coherent. The man named Oca coughed out a diabolical laugh and shrugged.

"Or we could use Gohan Son, here."

He moved towards the Sons, leaving Bra on the floor half-dead underneath a suspended Trunks.

Goten had seen enough. He took a few steps back and felt his anger building up inside of him. It was a powerful force, boiling below his skin like he was a human cauldron about to overflow. His eyes flickered between black and green as his skin began to glow with fire.

"I will….kill you all!"

The dam burst inside of his soul. His muscles pumped outwards, his body tensed and grew in mass, and his hair stood on end in a bright yellow. His super saiyan flames engulfed the area around him and he released a powerful blast directly at the man in the wheelchair, destroying the wall separating them and sending Oca backwards.

Goten screamed and kicked off into the air straight for him.

"Master!" The cloaked man stood in front of Oca, ready to die to protect him.

Goten grabbed the man at the throat and threw him from the stone room and into the dark hallway, lodging him into the wall. He scraped his feet against the floor and assumed a fighting position.

"I know that you are not helpless. Come at me! I will make you pay for this!"

He powered up and filled the room with his energy flames.

Oca looked up at him, twisting his face into a most evil smile.

"Ah…the second son appears. I knew you would find us here…" He paused and rubbed his chin inquisitively. "So, you think that you can kill me and it'll be done? We got what we needed from these pitiful excuses for saiyans…my experiments were successful! Even if you kill me, my progenies will arise and take this sad little planet for their own. I have created a new race, more powerful than saiyans! I have won, regardless of what you do to me!"

Goten frowned deeply and launched forward, crushing the man's head into the wall with his fist.

"Goten!" Goku called out in horror, "Goten, calm down!"

Goten's eyes fixated on the crushed man in front of him. He couldn't feel remorse and he couldn't feel pain. He had to get them out and fast. He could still feel life energy elsewhere in the stone fortress, and he was sure that he would easily kill anyone in his path.

"Uncle Goten!"

Pan pleaded for Goten to turn to her. He felt a twinge of emotion. He quickly ran to them, crushing every chain with his bare hands.

"I have senzu beans."

Goten reached into his pocket and produced a small velvet bag containing the magical bean that could cure all bodily ailments.

"Take these…Get Bra out of here. I'm taking this place down!"

Goku took the bag with a quick nod and provided the others with beans. As they started to recover, Vegeta glared at Goten, cracking his now healing jaw back into place loudly.

"Thank you…" Vegeta said hesitantly.

Goten's patience was running thin. He felt anxious and antsy. He couldn't hold back for much longer. He looked over and saw Trunks rubbing his wrists, coughing.

"Get her out of here, Trunks!" Goten demanded.

Trunks frowned sadly, "How? How can we get out?"

Goten sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He glanced around the room and got their attention.

"Get ready!" He braced himself and began to say the words.

"Ka…"

Goku grabbed Pan into his arms.

"Me…."

Trunks picked up Bra delicately and rushed towards his father and uncle.

"Ha…."

Vegeta motioned for Tarble to be ready for flight.

"Me…."

Gohan watched his brother proudly, ready to sprint.

"Ha!"

A huge blast burst into flames and engulfed the entire ceiling, swallowing it whole and collapsing the foundation.

"Go, go, go!" Gohan hollered.

As they all jumped into the empty space filled with Goten's raw power, he stayed put, still controlling the ball of energy flames and tearing the entire place apart. He screamed in anger, in fury…he was out of control.

Goku realized in that moment just how much pain Goten was harboring. His reaction to the situation was even greater than Gohan's bursts of anger as a child, who until now was thought to be the most powerful of them all. He could hear his youngest son screaming at the top of his lungs as the building, now far below them, was completely disintegrating into thin air.

Gohan stopped flying and turned towards the burning rubble.

"Goten!" He pleaded, tears falling from his wide and frightened eyes.

Trunks stopped and looked down at his lifeless sister.

"The bean isn't working for her…she's not recovering!"

Vegeta grabbed her away from his son and flew off into the sky at full speed, followed by Trunks eagerly. He wasn't going to wait for anyone, even if Goten saved him from certain death.

"I…I can't leave him!" Gohan yelled to Goku.

"We have to go, Gohan! He will be okay, he'll be with us soon!" Goku angrily grabbed onto Gohan's arm, "We've gotta go!"

Gohan forcefully shoved Goku back, "I…I practically raised him! His anger, his rage…it could be the death of him down there! I have to help him!"

Goku realized that he couldn't win the fight and relaxed, holding onto a weak Pan tightly.

"Uncle Goten!" Pan called out sadly.

Goten was still inside the building as it came down around him. Rocks began to pile up on top of him, but his power was too great and dissolved any debris instantly. He continued screaming, fists tightly clenched in the air at his sides. He let it all out at once, finally feeling like he was completely in control, until the building that used to stand in his place was a massive hole in the ground without a trace of life or substance.

He lowered his arms, losing his form and returning to normal state. He fell to his knees and panted heavily, gasping for air and feeling every inch of his body scream in exhaustion. He looked up and saw his family above. Goku and Gohan were still there, hovering and waiting.

His heart broke under all of the emotions and the tears came rushing to the surface like an uncontrollable tsunami. While the sky began to grow dim with grey clouds, Goten fell to his knees.

Not far off, Gohan moved a few feet closer to his brother.

"Dad…I think you should go to him." Gohan said quietly, staring at Goten sadly.

Goku looked surprised, but quickly considered the role that he could play at the current time. Perhaps this would be his moment to win Goten's respect back. A father's support was surely something he could offer.

"Uh…I'm not so good at these things…" Goku hesitated.

Gohan smiled, "You always were with me."

Goku felt touched by Gohan's honest words and decided it was time to confront and comfort Goten once and for all. He slowly lowered down towards the ruins of the stone fortress and landed softly on the dirt with a light thud. He stood still for a moment, assessing Goten's condition and attempting to read and feel his ki, but there was no energy emitting from Goten. He wasn't moving. He was crouched into a fetal position, knees buried in the dirt below him. His hands gripped the back of his head and his tears continued to make a small puddle below his hidden face.

When he was close enough, Goku could hear Goten's quiet sobs filling the silent air with deep sentiment. He hesitantly looked up into the grey sky and began to hear a low rumble of thunder urge him forward to his son.

"Goten…" he whispered softly, "I want to say thank you for saving my life…you made me so proud today, son."

Goten stopped sobbing and fell silent. Goku felt the air thicken awkwardly between them as Goten raised his head slowly. He looked up at Goku with his large, black eyes and frowned. His face was mixed with anger and sadness, an automatic response he'd programmed to give Goku, but it wasn't working this time. He felt like heart heal just a little bit inside of his cold, hard chest and soften. His brow began to relax. He dropped his hands to his sides while he leaned back onto his knees and exhaled slowly.

"I…I'm sorry for being such a douchebag…"

Goku laughed, "I'm not sure what that means, but…I think you had every right to be mad at me if that's what you're talking about. I'm sorry that I let you down, Goten. I won't leave again. I'm done leaving. Your mother, brother…Pan, Videl…you all mean so much to me. I will be a better father to you. I just hope I'm not too late. Can you forgive me?"

Before Goten could answer, Goku plopped down on the ground in front of him playfully. He crossed his long legs, staring straight at Goten with a warm smile. His face was relaxed and calm, yet there was an air about him that Goten hadn't felt before. He wondered if this was about as good as a true apology from his carefree and naïve father could get. Should he just accept it?

He thought hard about what moving on from the biggest vendetta in his life would mean. No more get-togethers talking about how Goku is never around, no more explaining to people why his dad was never there but his parents were still married, and best of all, no more worrying that his father was somewhere dead in a ditch.

Goten sniffled and raised his head to meet his father's intent gaze. A drop of rain fell and landed on Goten's nose, startling him.

"Well…looks like the sky is rushing my decision." Goten said smiling slightly, "Dad…I've struggled most of my life because you were never there. If you stay, if you don't run off to save the world again…I will forgive you. But with that forgiveness comes trust...I have to learn to trust you again. That means…the next time that I have to come and save you, you better not let them get the better of you, first."

Goten held out his hand to Goku and smiled weakly, "After all of the shit that's happened lately…I'm glad that I have my dad back."

Goku's smile grew wide and full of glee, "That's my boy!"

He shook Goten's hand just as the angry grey clouds burst and rain began to pour down onto them.

"Well!" Goten exclaimed playfully.

They both laughed. Goten felt happy inside for the first time since he confessed to Bra. Suddenly, all of the color left Goten's face. He felt his heart begin to race.

"What's wrong?" Goku asked, sensing a spike in Goten's ki.

"I…I almost forgot…Bra…I have to make sure she's okay!"

Goten kicked into the air. He felt Goku trailing behind him slightly, but he couldn't slow down. He had to get to Bulma's and make sure that Bra was okay. He'd wasted too much time already.

As the air blew past him, he briefly recalled how much loved the way it felt to fly in the rain. It was almost as though it wasn't raining, because his speed made it so that he didn't get completely soaked. The drops hitting him as he flew felt like a cooling and relaxing mist. He felt disgusting after all of the explosions, so perhaps washing it off a bit wasn't the worst thing.

He pictured Bra and figured that she was probably healed by now from a Senzu bean and wondering where he was. He wasn't worried about her reciprocating his confession, only that he wasn't there when she woke up. He felt like she loved him, and that's all that mattered to him at the moment.

He considered what he would say when he arrived to see her beautiful, glowing face run towards him and fling herself into his arms. He could feel her warmth as he thought of her. He could smell her sweet scent and taste her luscious lips on his. He decided it was probably best to stop thinking about it, as he was getting rather excited. He looked over to his father, but Goku seemed to also be in deep thought. Good thing he couldn't read minds.

They flew ahead and came upon Capsule Corp. Lowering themselves to the ground, the rain began to drench their clothes and became quite cold.

"Ah, run!" Goku hollered to Goten as they reached the ground and ran towards the front door.

Goten felt his heart skip a beat as he grabbed the doorknob, ready for her to welcome him home. He felt it turn under his large hand and took a deep breath.

"Goku! Goten, you're safe!"

Chichi was the first to greet her husband and son at the door, followed by the others. She threw her arms around Goten, but quickly retreated and ordered him to put on dry clothes. Goten stared at her blankly.

"What is it?" She asked, confused by his ambivalent reaction.

"Where is she?" He looked around the room and caught Trunks' eye, who began to walk towards the staircase.

"C'mon, Goten…" Trunks mumbled hesitantly.

He lit up and ran towards Trunks, patting him on the shoulder and smiling. Chichi scoffed and crossed her arms.

"How quickly he forgets who the most important woman in his life will always be!" Chichi sneered at Goku who laughed awkwardly.

Upstairs, Trunks turned to Goten and stared at him seriously.

"I'm just going to warn you, she was very near death when we got her home. She's lucky that she didn't croak, but that just proves that she's my sister. Fighter until the end!" He laughed slightly, scratching the back of his head as if stalling Goten from entering the room.

"Trunks, move! I want to see her!" Goten anxiously tried to go around Trunks, but he stepped to the side and blocked him.

"I need you to be prepared. She didn't heal properly…we think…it was whatever they injected her with."

Goten's anxious smile fell instantly.

"Injected? What…"

He pushed Trunks aside forcefully and opened the door.

"Bra!"

Goten stopped dead in his tracks. Her skin was pale and she was attached to several machines. Her eyes were glazed over and her face had no expression. She looked like a different person.

He frowned, "What the hell are you doing to her?"

Trunks shrugged. "We have some of the best doctors in Japan from the hospital staying in one of the guest suites. Three of them rushed over as soon as my mom called. We have all of the lab equipment that they need, but all we can gather right now is that she received three injections of an unknown substance. We're waiting on bloodwork."

Goten walked into the sterile, yellow room and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Oh, Bra…what did they do to you…?"

The heavy rain tapped loudly on her window and created an ambient shadow that danced across her sad face. He leaned forward on top of her and hugged her tightly.

"Please be okay…please be okay…" He took her hand and kissed the top of her placid skin and laid his head on her stomach. "Please wake up."

Her eyes moved about slightly, causing Trunks to snap to attention.

"She hasn't moved since we brought her home! Her eyes…Look!"

Her line of sight was limited, so Goten rose to her face and rested above her.

"Can you hear me?"

She seemed to lock onto his eyes rather quickly. A small smile began to appear across her sickly face. She coughed and rolled her head side to side slowly on her large, puffy pillow. She reached for Goten's hand.

"Bra…I'm so sorry…" Goten pleaded, his eyes darting between her hand, her blinking eyes, and her heart monitor.

"Trunks, have the doctor come check on her!"

Goten waved his right hand at Trunks, taking Bra's in his left. He caressed her skin and kissed the top of her hand.

"You were so strong…" He whispered softly to her as she strained to understand his words.

"G…Goten…"

Her lips were dry and cracked. Goten reached for the tray pushed away to the side of her medical bed and grabbed the cup of water on top. He held onto the straw and aimed it between her parched lips and told her to drink slowly.

"Bra…"

She blinked a few more times before focusing on his face. Her characteristic, Bulma-like smile spread across her face.

"Goten…" She reached for his face and he took her hand again, kissing her fingertips delicately.

"I was so worried about you. When I saw you…you looked…well, you looked like a total zombie." Goten laughed.

She giggled painfully. Goten reached forward and brushed her hair to the side. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, but he stopped above her face and hovered there for a moment, resting his hands on either side of her pillow. She looked up at him with her big, doe eyes and whispered, "Do I look like a zombie now?"

He smiled, "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen…right now…and always…"

He kissed her lips lovingly, pouring his emotions into her and fighting back a strange urge to cry out of joy. He backed away from her and looked upon her with a proud gaze.

"Goten?" She asked gently, "Do you remember what you said to me before you passed out the other night?"

"Uh, yeah…I remember…" He paused, feeling awkward and exposed.

"Well…the only thing that got me through those hours in hell…the experiments…was knowing that I had to tell you that I love you, too. Now you've gone and saved my life, all without knowing if I would say it back or not. You're definitely the most amazing guy that I've ever been with, Goten."

He smirked, "Hell yeah I am."

Overcome with love, he laid his head down on her hands. He didn't want to leave. He was right where he needed to be.

After a few quiet moments, Trunks returned to the doorway completely pale.

"Bra…I…um, the doctor got your blood results. I haven't gotten mom or dad yet, but…well, just prepare yourself for...um…"

She tried to sit up but painfully rested back into place.

"What is your problem?" Goten asked Trunks with concern, "Why would you get her all worked up like that? Lemme see those."

He sat up and reached for the paper in Trunks' hand, but Trunks yanked it away.

"The doctor's coming now and he can tell you. Just uh…know that I'm here for both of you. I'll be downstairs when you're ready to talk about it..."

Trunks left the room hastily. A doctor came through the doorway after him followed by Cabba, who was dressed in his medical scrubs. Cabba looked nervous and handed Goten the paperwork Trunks had been holding.

"What is this?" Goten demanded.

There was a brief pause. Cabba seemed unable to tell him. Instead, the other doctor took over.

"Ms. Brief, it appears…you are pregnant."


End file.
